Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bryan, TX and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,650 in Bryan, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Bryan, TX
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Bryan, TX Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bryan, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,650

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bryan, TX and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bryan, TX and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,650 in Bryan, TX versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Bryan, TX $2,650
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,867 in Bryan, TX versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bryan, TX $3,867
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,085 in Bryan, TX versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Bryan, TX $5,085
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Bryan, TX is roughly 120% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bryan, TX is 96% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.65 $18.65

$10.67 MX$198

74.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$43.80 MX$813

70.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$11.79 MX$219

-7.97%

Cappuccino

$4.94 $4.94

$3.79 MX$70.3

30.34%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.30 MX$24.07

98.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.83 MX$15.47

134.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.15 MX$58.4

91.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.93 MX$91.6

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.14

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.20 MX$40.75

56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.47 MX$27.33

200.00%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$2.50 MX$46.34

69.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$7.29 MX$135

65.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 $11.53

$7.95 MX$148

45.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$12.86 MX$239

19.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.90 MX$53.8

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.38 MX$25.67

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.49 MX$46.23

73.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.03 MX$37.67

134.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.02 MX$37.58

40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.90 MX$35.32

52.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.14 MX$21.24

78.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.24 MX$22.99

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 $9.49

$4.27 MX$79.3

122.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.02 $14.02

$9.81 MX$182

42.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.59 MX$29.43

16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.75 MX$51.0

18.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.51 MX$9.56

286.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$27.39 MX$508

117.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$4.76 MX$88.4

-25.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.25 MX$60.3

-49.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.96 $28.96

$5.39 MX$100

437.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.53 MX$28.36

-40.52%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K $29.1K

$21.2K MX$393.7K

37.05%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.3K MX$431.7K

10.44%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$191 $191

$83.5 MX$1,549

129.09%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.4 $52.4

$23.19 MX$430

126.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$27.61 MX$512

145.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.72 $43.72

$56.4 MX$1,047

-22.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 $13.63

$5.00 MX$92.8

172.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$207 MX$3,843

535.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

356.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$43.45 MX$806

17.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 $39.43

$42.54 MX$789

-7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$72.8 MX$1,350

19.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$88.4 MX$1,640

26.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$995 MX$18.5K

58.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 $1,369

$382 MX$7,097

257.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,612 $2,612

$1,674 MX$31.1K

56.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 $2,257

$1,081 MX$20.1K

108.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,731 $2,731

$3,909 MX$72.5K

-30.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,402 $2,402

$6,138 MX$113.9K

-60.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bryan, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bryan, TX

$1.4K 51.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 72.1% $986

Groceries & Markets

Bryan, TX

$386 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 33.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bryan, TX

$312 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.9% $177

Eating Out

Bryan, TX

$303 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 33.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Bryan, TX

$130 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 14.4% $19

Getting Around

Bryan, TX

$79 3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bryan, TX

$71 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 6.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,572 in Bryan, TX and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Bryan, TX vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bryan, TX

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h ahead of Bryan, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,980

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Bryan, TX Playa del Carmen 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bryan, TX
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bryan, TX vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,975 in Bryan, TX and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,572 in Bryan, TX versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,316 in Bryan, TX versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Bryan, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,650 in Bryan, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bryan, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bryan, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Bryan, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.