Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brackenfell Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brackenfell

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Playa del Carmen versus $897 in Brackenfell.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,409 in Brackenfell.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,921 in Brackenfell.

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 43% more expensive than Brackenfell, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 4% lower, Brackenfell 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 MX$209

$8.35 R 140

42.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$748

$22.01 R 369

94.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 MX$185

$5.14 R 86.2

106.03%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$63.4

$2.08 R 34.84

74.04%

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

$1.47 MX$25.69

$1.05 R 17.67

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$16.51

$0.88 R 14.70

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$54.1

$2.26 R 37.96

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$78.0

$2.38 R 39.84

87.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$0.93 R 15.55

53.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 MX$32.97

$1.00 R 16.82

88.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$28.50

$1.90 R 31.81

-14.21%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$46.26

$2.33 R 39.05

13.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 MX$144

$8.52 R 143

-3.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$145

$3.32 R 55.7

149.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 MX$194

$7.46 R 125

48.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MX$46.40

$1.32 R 22.15

100.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$26.26

$1.44 R 24.09

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.79

$1.45 R 24.30

37.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.33

$1.60 R 26.89

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$31.29

$1.08 R 18.13

65.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.09

$1.14 R 19.12

91.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.84

$1.09 R 18.31

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.15

$0.87 R 14.62

19.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 MX$69.5

$3.11 R 52.2

27.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 MX$179

$4.35 R 72.9

134.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$30.22

$1.35 R 22.64

28.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 MX$43.71

$1.11 R 18.57

125.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.07

$1.63 R 27.40

-68.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$472

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$55.0

$1.37 R 22.93

129.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$42.04

$0.83 R 13.87

189.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 MX$54.0

$4.58 R 76.8

-32.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$22.28

$1.24 R 20.88

2.42%

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

$30.9K MX$540.4K

$14.2K R 237.9K

117.65%

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

$23.3K MX$408.0K

$19.6K R 329.1K

18.82%

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

$82.0 MX$1,435

$64.1 R 1,075

27.92%

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

$22.45 MX$393

$32.27 R 541

-30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$519

$41.91 R 703

-29.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$908

$30.88 R 518

67.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.67 MX$327

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$87.0

$6.86 R 115

-27.55%

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

$198 MX$3,462

$140 R 2,345

41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,273 MX$92.3K

$5,202 R 87.2K

1.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.34 MX$636

$45.35 R 761

-19.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 MX$701

$25.68 R 431

55.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,398

$67.5 R 1,133

18.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,555

$36.18 R 607

145.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.9K

$368 R 6,176

161.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 MX$8,133

$334 R 5,608

38.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 MX$27.9K

$699 R 11.7K

128.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 MX$21.2K

$691 R 11.6K

74.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$69.0K

$757 R 12.7K

420.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,448 MX$112.8K

$698 R 11.7K

823.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$720 MX$12.6K

$1,797 R 30.1K

-59.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

11.77

-2.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 25, 2026

Last update for Brackenfell: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $963 in Playa del Carmen and $368 in Brackenfell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brackenfell pays 149% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $22.00 in Brackenfell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $168 per month, with Brackenfell cheaper across the board.

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

Playa del Carmen vs Brackenfell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brackenfell wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brackenfell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Brackenfell earns 149% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $963 in Playa del Carmen versus $368 in Brackenfell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $198 in Playa del Carmen versus $140 in Brackenfell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brackenfell – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $897 in Brackenfell versus $1,287 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brackenfell but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Brackenfell the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brackenfell delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $897 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brackenfell hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Brackenfell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.