Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bragadiru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bragadiru: $1,106 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Bragadiru
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Bragadiru Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bragadiru

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,106 in Bragadiru.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bragadiru $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,728 in Bragadiru.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bragadiru $1,728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,351 in Bragadiru.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bragadiru $2,351

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bragadiru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bragadiru 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$13.82 RON 65.7

-22.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$60.0 RON 285

-27.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.15 RON 34.01

64.90%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.30 RON 15.70

14.85%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.84 RON 8.74

-29.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.34 RON 6.35

-38.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.26 RON 10.76

39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.22 RON 15.28

53.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.64 RON 7.79

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.22 RON 5.80

80.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.71 RON 8.11

-14.04%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.09 RON 14.69

-19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.43 RON 40.09

-13.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$6.77 RON 32.18

17.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.10 RON 43.25

41.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.25 RON 5.93

132.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.61 RON 7.64

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.57 RON 7.44

58.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$2.66 RON 12.64

-23.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.96 RON 4.57

110.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.94 RON 4.46

102.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.03 RON 4.88

10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.99 RON 4.69

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$6.33 RON 30.08

-32.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.15 RON 29.25

59.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.02 RON 4.85

55.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.75 RON 8.34

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.76 RON 3.62

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$21.68 RON 103

26.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.65 RON 3.11

632.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.66 RON 3.13

392.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$6.44 RON 30.59

-16.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.91 RON 9.09

-19.90%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.0K RON 133.2K

-24.28%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$25.8K RON 122.9K

-10.00%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$165 RON 783

-49.34%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$7.54 RON 35.84

207.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$7.43 RON 35.33

271.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$36.06 RON 171

56.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$20.98 RON 99.7

34.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.01 RON 33.32

-28.67%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$560 RON 2,661

-63.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$8,366 RON 39.8K

-37.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$92.4 RON 439

-52.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$42.75 RON 203

-0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$86.6 RON 412

-16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$87.5 RON 416

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$389 RON 1,847

155.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$295 RON 1,403

29.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$617 RON 2,935

171.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$467 RON 2,221

131.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,902 RON 9,041

105.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,326 RON 6,302

362.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,077 RON 5,117

-22.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.75

69.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bragadiru: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bragadiru

$295 26.7% 22.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bragadiru

$211 19.1% 17.9% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bragadiru

$202 18.3% 0.9% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bragadiru

$180 16.3% 33.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bragadiru

$139 12.6% 25.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bragadiru

$50 4.5% 24.6% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bragadiru

$29 2.6% 43.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $389 in Bragadiru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bragadiru pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $60 in Bragadiru. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $211, with Bragadiru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Bragadiru

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bragadiru 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bragadiru

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 Bragadiru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bragadiru is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $389 in Bragadiru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bragadiru runs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $560 in Bragadiru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Bragadiru gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.