Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Britain, CT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,582 in New Britain, CT, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New Britain, CT, United States
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
New Britain, CT
🇺🇸 United States
$2,582
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Britain, CT 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 New Britain, CT and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,582 per month in New Britain, CT vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • New Britain, CT $2,582
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,955 per month in New Britain, CT vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • New Britain, CT $3,955
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,329 per month in New Britain, CT vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • New Britain, CT $5,329
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

New Britain, CT costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Britain, CT sits 91% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.25 $16.25
$10.67 MX$199
52.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.2 $91.2
$43.80 MX$815
108.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.72 $14.72
$11.79 MX$219
24.85%
Cappuccino
$5.57 $5.57
$3.79 MX$70.5
46.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 $2.91
$1.30 MX$24.14
123.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
$0.83 MX$15.51
234.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.94 $4.94
$3.15 MX$58.6
56.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.82 $7.82
$4.93 MX$91.8
58.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 $1.07
$1.41 MX$26.22
-24.11%
White Bread (500g)
$3.92 $3.92
$2.20 MX$40.86
78.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.36 $5.36
$1.47 MX$27.40
264.63%
Eggs
$4.70 $4.70
$2.50 MX$46.46
88.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 $11.10
$7.29 MX$136
52.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.37 $14.37
$7.95 MX$148
80.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$12.86 MX$239
36.78%
Apples (1kg)
$6.87 $6.87
$2.90 MX$53.9
136.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.38 MX$25.74
23.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.59 $6.59
$2.49 MX$46.35
164.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.55 $5.55
$2.03 MX$37.77
173.40%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.02 MX$37.68
37.13%
Onion (1kg)
$4.32 $4.32
$1.90 MX$35.42
127.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.14 MX$21.30
100.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.24 MX$23.05
-20.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.48 $13.48
$4.27 MX$79.5
215.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.06 $14.06
$9.81 MX$183
43.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 $2.08
$1.59 MX$29.51
30.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 $3.99
$2.75 MX$51.1
45.09%
🚌 Getting Around
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.91 $1.91
$0.51 MX$9.58
274.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.8 $53.8
$27.39 MX$510
96.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.96 $3.96
$4.76 MX$88.6
-16.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.51 $2.51
$3.25 MX$60.5
-22.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.83 $39.83
$5.39 MX$100
638.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.53 MX$28.44
-28.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
31.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K $26.9K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
15.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$324 $324
$83.5 MX$1,554
287.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$104 $104
$23.19 MX$431
349.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.8 $54.8
$27.61 MX$514
98.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.06 $40.06
$56.4 MX$1,050
-29.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.16 $14.16
$5.00 MX$93.1
183.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$984 $984
$207 MX$3,854
374.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$44.9K $44.9K
$5,231 MX$97.3K
757.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 $56.0
$43.45 MX$809
28.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.87 $37.87
$42.54 MX$792
-10.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 $79.9
$72.8 MX$1,354
9.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.6 $98.6
$88.4 MX$1,645
11.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,112 $1,112
$995 MX$18.5K
11.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 $1,095
$382 MX$7,116
186.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,572 $2,572
$1,674 MX$31.2K
53.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,107 $2,107
$1,081 MX$20.1K
95.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,695 $2,695
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-31.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,486 $2,486
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-59.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Britain, CT
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,915 $3,915
$832 MX$15.5K
370.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.45
-56.33%

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

Last update for New Britain, CT: November 3, 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
New Britain, CT
$1.1K
Playa del Carmen
$382 65.1% $712
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Britain, CT
$483
Playa del Carmen
$134 72.2% $349
Groceries & Markets
New Britain, CT
$431
Playa del Carmen
$257 40.3% $174
Eating Out
New Britain, CT
$304
Playa del Carmen
$200 34.2% $104
Clothing & Footwear
New Britain, CT
$123
Playa del Carmen
$111 9.3% $11
Getting Around
New Britain, CT
$78
Playa del Carmen
$50 35.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
New Britain, CT
$68
Playa del Carmen
$66 2.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,112 in New Britain, CT versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Britain, CT are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in New Britain, CT versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New Britain, CT
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
05:41 5:41 AM
05:41 5:41 AM
Same time as New Britain, CT
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
73,206
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New Britain, CT Playa del Carmen 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New Britain, CT
  • 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
New Britain, CT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than New Britain, CT?
Yes – New Britain, CT is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,873 per month in New Britain, CT and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,112 in New Britain, CT.
What are total monthly expenses in New Britain, CT and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,582 in New Britain, CT and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 49% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in New Britain, CT or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in New Britain, CT at $2,582. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Britain, CT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is New Britain, CT or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Britain, CT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

New Britain, CT vs other spots: cost of living compared

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