Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brazzaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
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Brazzaville Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Brazzaville $1,931

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,959 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Brazzaville $2,959

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,986 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Brazzaville $3,986

Playa del Carmen is about 37% cheaper than Brazzaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Brazzaville is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

33.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

-9.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

145.77%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

-6.17%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.59 FCFA 929

-17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.31 FCFA 766

-34.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

-42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

35.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

-46.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

-51.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

-52.00%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

-52.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

-16.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

-11.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

20.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

-18.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

-28.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

-26.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

-24.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

-17.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.36 FCFA 796

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.83 FCFA 487

46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

17.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

-5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.25 FCFA 145

108.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

19.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

183.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.31 FCFA 768

168.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

-15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.36 FCFA 798

13.24%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

-27.89%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

-9.03%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$839 FCFA 491.1K

-90.04%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

39.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

-30.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

146.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

111.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

-9.11%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

298.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

-16.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$451 FCFA 264.1K

-14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

-46.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

-23.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

16.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

109.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$451 FCFA 264.1K

67.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.54

75.08%

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 Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Brazzaville

$451 23.4% 17.2% $66

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5% 29.7% $77

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Brazzaville

$176 9.1% 13.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Brazzaville

$899 46.5% 556% $762

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Brazzaville

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Brazzaville

$37 1.9% 50.1% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Brazzaville

$32 1.7% 38% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,175 in Brazzaville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $50.0 in Brazzaville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $338 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,932,610 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brazzaville 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brazzaville

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 Brazzaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazzaville costs about 59% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,897 in Brazzaville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $50.0 in Brazzaville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,931 in Brazzaville. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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