Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Braganca

For one person, living is cheaper in Braganca: $1,014 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Braganca
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Braganca Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Braganca

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,014 in Braganca.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Braganca $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,532 in Braganca.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Braganca $1,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,049 in Braganca.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Braganca $2,049

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 19% more expensive than in Braganca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Braganca 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.30 €10.12

-3.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$39.85 €35.69

8.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.21 €8.24

27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.43 €1.28

166.43%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.38 €1.24

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.03 €0.93

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.10 €0.98

188.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.29 €2.06

115.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.06 €0.95

33.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.72 €1.54

29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.51 €1.35

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.22 €2.88

-21.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.38 €8.40

-22.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.38 €5.72

20.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.09 €10.83

4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.36 €2.12

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.36 €1.22

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.82 €1.63

40.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.66 €2.38

-20.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.98 €1.77

-2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.95 €1.74

-3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.35 €1.21

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.91 €0.81

29.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$5.77 €5.17

-25.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$4.42 €3.96

125.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.16 €1.04

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.57 €1.41

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$11.33 €10.14

134.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.91 €3.50

27.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.13 €1.01

194.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.23 €14.53

-66.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.17 €1.94

-33.64%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$33.7K €30.2K

-38.69%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$37.5K €33.6K

-37.38%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$104 €93.0

-18.32%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$16.79 €15.04

39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$34.87 €31.23

-17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$33.95 €30.40

68.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$5.65 €5.06

411.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.50 €4.92

-6.55%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$307 €275

-32.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$9,170 €8,213

-57.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$22.69 €20.32

91.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$22.62 €20.26

83.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$67.5 €60.4

9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$98.7 €88.4

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$400 €358

144.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$315 €282

20.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$735 €658

132.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$474 €424

126.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,064 €953

270.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$853 €764

622.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,160 €1,039

-36.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.47

229.97%

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 Braganca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Braganca

$315 31.1% 17.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Braganca

$228 22.4% 10.7% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Braganca

$155 15.3% 23.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Braganca

$155 15.3% 13.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Braganca

$95 9.4% 14.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Braganca

$45 4.4% 33.2% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Braganca

$21 * 2.1% 58.6% $30

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 $980 in Playa del Carmen and $400 in Braganca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braganca pays 58% 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 $40 in Braganca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $228 per month, with Braganca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Braganca

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

01:37 1:37 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,589

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Braganca 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Braganca

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 Braganca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,014 in Braganca, so Braganca is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $400 in Braganca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braganca runs roughly 57% 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 $307 in Braganca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Braganca 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.

Expats usually find Braganca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.