Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brainerd, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,441 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
Learn more

Brainerd, MN Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Brainerd, MN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,441 in Brainerd, MN.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Brainerd, MN $2,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,450 in Brainerd, MN.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Brainerd, MN $3,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,460 in Brainerd, MN.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Brainerd, MN $4,460

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 51% less than in Brainerd, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Brainerd, MN is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.37 $14.37

-24.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$38.35 $38.35

13.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.04 $10.04

17.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$1.94 $1.94

96.39%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.09 $2.09

-38.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.89 $1.89

-58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$5.88 $5.88

-46.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$5.88 $5.88

-16.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.91 $0.91

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$3.25 $3.25

-31.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$3.41 $3.41

-58.36%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.43 $2.43

3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.38 $9.38

-22.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.37 $9.37

-17.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.23 $13.23

-4.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$4.96 $4.96

-43.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.16 $1.16

18.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$6.02 $6.02

-57.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$4.86 $4.86

-56.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.82 $3.82

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$3.52 $3.52

-46.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$2.05 $2.05

-43.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$1.69 $1.69

-30.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$11.90 $11.90

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$12.77 $12.77

-22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.76 $1.76

-10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.45 $3.45

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.95 $1.95

-71.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$59.7 $59.7

-55.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$2.54 $2.54

95.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.53 $1.53

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$30.96 $30.96

-82.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.86 $0.86

67.44%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$27.6K $27.6K

-25.21%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$25.6K $25.6K

-8.45%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$233 $233

-63.54%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$45.13 $45.13

-48.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$59.8 $59.8

-52.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$42.00 $42.00

35.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$9.19 $9.19

-44.07%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$1,221 $1,221

-83.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$28.2K $28.2K

-86.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$40.67 $40.67

6.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$40.75 $40.75

1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$60.1 $60.1

23.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$64.5 $64.5

38.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,604 $1,604

-38.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$1,299 $1,299

-70.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$2,475 $2,475

-30.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$2,152 $2,152

-50.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$2,434 $2,434

62.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$2,377 $2,377

159.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.31

81.46%

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 Brainerd, MN: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 53.2% 241% $918

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Brainerd, MN

$348 14.3% 36.6% $93

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Brainerd, MN

$225 9.2% 11.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Brainerd, MN

$337 13.8% 147% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8% 17% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.5% 10.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Brainerd, MN

$78 3.2% 53.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,604 in Brainerd, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $38 in Brainerd, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $348, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,722

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brainerd, MN 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brainerd, MN

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 Brainerd, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $3,661 in Brainerd, MN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,604 in Brainerd, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brainerd, MN – a meal for two runs $38 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,441 in Brainerd, MN – Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,441 in Brainerd, MN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.