Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brackenfell

For one person, living is cheaper in Brackenfell: $1,028 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Brackenfell
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Brackenfell Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Brackenfell

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Brackenfell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,028 in Brackenfell.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Brackenfell $1,028

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,614 in Brackenfell.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Brackenfell $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,201 in Brackenfell.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Brackenfell $2,201

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 18% more expensive than in Brackenfell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Brackenfell 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$9.25 R 152

16.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$23.89 R 394

80.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.12 R 101

92.65%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.42 R 39.82

59.92%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.08 R 17.79

26.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.91 R 15.06

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.37 R 38.98

30.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.55 R 42.00

98.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.05 R 17.35

37.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.10 R 18.11

102.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.10 R 34.61

-30.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.89 R 31.17

33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.94 R 131

-8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.65 R 43.71

196.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.79 R 112

88.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.46 R 24.10

98.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.89 R 31.09

-23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.73 R 28.54

47.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.62 R 26.69

27.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.33 R 21.86

50.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.06 R 17.49

89.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.87 R 14.28

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.08 R 17.71

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.54 R 58.4

24.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$4.12 R 67.9

132.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.32 R 21.77

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.92 R 31.68

46.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.48 R 24.45

-61.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.62 R 10.28

703.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.88 R 14.44

297.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$4.86 R 80.0

11.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.28 R 21.13

14.84%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$17.7K R 291.5K

18.61%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$19.2K R 316.7K

24.35%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$116 R 1,909

-27.34%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$28.58 R 471

-16.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$39.30 R 648

-26.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$24.00 R 395

162.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$10.63 R 175

174.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.98 R 148

-44.99%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$150 R 2,463

36.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$6,714 R 110.6K

-41.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$41.71 R 687

4.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$22.30 R 367

93.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$64.9 R 1,070

16.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$49.85 R 821

77.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$655 R 10.8K

53.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$395 R 6,501

-5.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,306 R 21.5K

30.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$885 R 14.6K

24.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$873 R 14.4K

351.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$647 R 10.7K

853.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,813 R 29.9K

-58.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.97

4.38%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brackenfell: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Brackenfell

$395 38.4% 5.5% $21

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Brackenfell

$170 16.5% 34.3% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Brackenfell

$146 14.2% 27.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Brackenfell

$184 17.9% 33.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Brackenfell

$80 7.8% 28.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Brackenfell

$42 4.1% 42.4% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Brackenfell

$11 * 1.1% 79.2% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $655 in Brackenfell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brackenfell pays 140% 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 $24.00 in Brackenfell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $170 per month, with Brackenfell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇦 Brackenfell

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

14:43 2:43 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brackenfell 12,680 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brackenfell

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

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

Brackenfell wins on cost – living expenses run 18% 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, salaries run 140% lower in Brackenfell. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $655 in Brackenfell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $150 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 $24.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,028 in Brackenfell versus $1,210 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 $1,028 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 18% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.