Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brandon, MB

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,622 in Brandon, MB, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Brandon, MB
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Brandon, MB Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Brandon, MB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Brandon, MB

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,622 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Brandon, MB $1,622

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,588 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Brandon, MB $2,588

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,555 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Brandon, MB $3,555

Playa del Carmen is about 26% cheaper than Brandon, MB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Brandon, MB is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$14.30 CA$20.01

-23.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$64.9 CA$90.8

-33.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.61 CA$14.84

11.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.15 CA$4.40

20.95%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.81 CA$2.53

-29.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.65 CA$2.31

-52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.20 CA$5.87

-24.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$5.33 CA$7.46

-7.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.46 CA$2.04

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.98 CA$2.77

12.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$3.20 CA$4.48

-55.63%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.05 CA$4.27

-17.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.60 CA$13.42

-24.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.64 CA$14.89

-27.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$16.28 CA$22.77

-22.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.28 CA$4.59

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.35 CA$1.89

1.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.44 CA$4.82

-25.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.21 CA$4.50

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.28 CA$3.19

-14.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.63 CA$3.68

-28.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.48 CA$3.46

-53.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.28 CA$1.80

-7.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$15.17 CA$21.22

-71.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.22 CA$17.09

-18.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.40 CA$3.35

-34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.20 CA$3.07

21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.33 CA$1.86

-58.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$68.8 CA$96.2

-61.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.86 CA$3.99

73.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.33 CA$1.86

150.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$24.08 CA$33.68

-77.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.04 CA$1.45

38.46%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$26.8K CA$37.4K

-22.78%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$20.6K CA$28.9K

13.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$163 CA$228

-47.93%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$34.19 CA$47.82

-31.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$48.55 CA$67.9

-40.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$42.73 CA$59.8

33.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.36 CA$22.88

76.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.61 CA$14.84

-51.56%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$1,009 CA$1,411

-79.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$18.4K CA$25.8K

-78.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$43.86 CA$61.3

-1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.65 CA$59.7

-2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$69.8 CA$97.6

6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$85.8 CA$120

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$798 CA$1,116

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$568 CA$794

-32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,387 CA$1,940

23.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,191 CA$1,666

-9.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,308 CA$3,229

70.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$2,300 CA$3,217

167.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,504 CA$3,502

-70.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.45

157.30%

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 Brandon, MB: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Brandon, MB

$568 35% 49.1% $187

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Brandon, MB

$323 19.9% 26.7% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Brandon, MB

$230 14.2% 13.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Brandon, MB

$246 15.1% 79.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Brandon, MB

$109 6.7% 2.5% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Brandon, MB

$64 3.9% 5% $3.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Brandon, MB

$84 5.2% 65.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $798 in Brandon, MB. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brandon, MB are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $65 in Brandon, MB. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $323 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Brandon, MB

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

46,061

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brandon, MB 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brandon, MB

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 Brandon, MB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brandon, MB is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,433 in Brandon, MB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brandon, MB, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Brandon, MB, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $65 in Brandon, MB. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Brandon, MB at $1,622. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brandon, MB it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,622 in Brandon, MB. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brandon, MB makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.