Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brades

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $923 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Brades actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $923 in Brades.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Brades $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,139 in Brades.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Brades $2,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,355 in Brades.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Brades $3,355

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 30% more expensive than in Brades, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Brades 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$18.72 EC$50.5

-41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$47.37 EC$128

-8.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.14 EC$32.78

-2.97%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$7.14 EC$19.27

-46.64%

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

$1.28 MX$24.04

$2.80 EC$7.55

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.68

$1.58 EC$4.26

-50.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.4

$2.93 EC$7.90

8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.53 EC$12.22

8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.37

$3.47 EC$9.37

-59.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.57

$2.95 EC$7.96

-24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.57

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.30

$7.07 EC$19.08

-64.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.76 EC$15.54

26.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.11 EC$24.59

-15.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$22.89 EC$61.8

-44.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.34 EC$9.03

-16.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.65

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.81

$4.38 EC$11.82

-51.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.34

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.36

$2.25 EC$6.07

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.50

$5.21 EC$14.06

-77.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$22.17 EC$59.9

-55.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.69

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.51 EC$12.19

-40.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.89 EC$5.11

-70.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$4.70 EC$12.68

-29.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$1.90 EC$5.12

182.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.07

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

$20.7K MX$387.5K

$22.2K EC$60.0K

-7.00%

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

$23.5K MX$440.0K

$15.0K EC$40.4K

56.73%

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

$84.8 MX$1,590

$92.8 EC$250

-8.59%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$40.24 EC$109

-41.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$48.18 EC$130

-40.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,070

$56.4 EC$152

1.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.4

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

$207 MX$3,873

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$813

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,391

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,673

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,140

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,296 EC$3,499

31.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,280 EC$3,455

-15.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,320 EC$3,563

-44.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brades: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Brades

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Brades

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Brades

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Brades

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Brades

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Brades

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Brades

–

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $47 in Brades for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $341 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇸 Brades

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brades 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brades

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 Brades: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $923 in Brades – Brades is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Brades is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.