Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,314 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brasov outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
Learn more

Brasov Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,314 in Brasov.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Brasov $1,314

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,128 in Brasov.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Brasov $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,943 in Brasov.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Brasov $2,943

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 8% less than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Brasov 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$11.01 RON 52.1

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$51.8 RON 245

-13.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$7.53 RON 35.61

58.30%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.70 RON 17.48

2.70%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.36 RON 11.15

-44.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$2.13 RON 10.10

-59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$3.19 RON 15.07

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.31 RON 15.64

51.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.57 RON 7.43

-7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.43 RON 6.78

62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.77 RON 8.39

-18.64%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.51 RON 16.58

-29.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.78 RON 41.51

-12.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.87 RON 32.48

14.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$12.79 RON 60.5

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.46 RON 6.91

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.51 RON 7.14

-5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.66 RON 7.85

54.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.75 RON 13.01

-22.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$0.77 RON 3.62

153.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$0.92 RON 4.35

110.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.89 RON 4.19

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.76 RON 3.58

60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$6.03 RON 28.52

-27.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$7.49 RON 35.42

31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.24 RON 5.89

24.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.80 RON 8.53

51.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.08 RON 5.11

-51.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$23.54 RON 111

16.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.66 RON 3.13

643.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.62 RON 2.95

467.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$6.47 RON 30.60

-12.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.85 RON 8.73

-16.76%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-26.33%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$26.2K RON 123.7K

-6.39%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$179 RON 846

-53.24%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$7.87 RON 37.24

205.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$8.98 RON 42.50

226.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$57.5 RON 272

12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$13.43 RON 63.5

119.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.57 RON 45.25

-46.81%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$446 RON 2,111

-53.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$6,960 RON 32.9K

-41.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$51.2 RON 242

-12.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$35.07 RON 166

19.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$75.0 RON 355

0.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$90.9 RON 430

0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$694 RON 3,284

42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$468 RON 2,216

-17.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,297 RON 6,135

32.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,066 RON 5,042

3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,104 RON 14.7K

29.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,401 RON 11.4K

160.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$1,097 RON 5,187

-30.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.2

59.03%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Brasov

$468 35.8% 21.6% $83

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Brasov

$229 17.4% 12.2% $32

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Brasov

$196 14.9% 4.1% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Brasov

$196 14.9% 42.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Brasov

$113 8.7% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Brasov

$77 5.9% 2.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Brasov

$32 2.4% 39.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $694 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $52.0 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $229, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

15:34 3:34 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

253,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brasov 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Brasov differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $1,314 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Brasov. 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $694 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $52.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,314 in Brasov – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,314 in Brasov, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brasov. 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Brasov are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.