Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brea, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,746 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Brea, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,746 in Brea, CA.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Brea, CA $3,746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,108 in Brea, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Brea, CA $5,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,470 in Brea, CA.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Brea, CA $6,470

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 68% less than in Brea, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Brea, CA is 177% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$24.77 $24.77

-56.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$76.4 $76.4

-42.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$12.18 $12.18

-3.20%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.79 $5.79

-34.54%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.79 $2.79

-53.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.95 $1.95

-57.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$7.20 $7.20

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$9.95 $9.95

-50.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.19 $1.19

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$5.20 $5.20

-57.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$4.28 $4.28

-65.65%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$5.09 $5.09

-50.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.61 $15.61

-53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.92 $8.92

-10.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.79 $13.79

-6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.64 $4.64

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.76 $1.76

-21.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$4.19 $4.19

-40.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$5.72 $5.72

-64.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$3.62 $3.62

-44.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.14 $3.14

-39.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.06 $2.06

-44.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$2.23 $2.23

-44.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.62 $11.62

-63.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$15.03 $15.03

-34.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.77 $1.77

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.84 $3.84

-28.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$4.42 $4.42

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.91 $1.91

70.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$35.52 $35.52

-84.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.64 $1.64

-6.71%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-23.09%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

-13.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$213 $213

-60.86%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$70.7 $70.7

-67.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$69.2 $69.2

-60.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$29.63 $29.63

90.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$19.82 $19.82

42.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$19.74 $19.74

-74.67%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,159 $1,159

-82.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$12.9K $12.9K

-59.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$61.7 $61.7

-29.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$41.43 $41.43

2.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$79.8 $79.8

-8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$105 $105

-15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$2,208 $2,208

-54.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$2,390 $2,390

-84.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$3,108 $3,108

-46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$3,476 $3,476

-68.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$5,864 $5,864

-33.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$6,180 $6,180

-0.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$10.0K $10.0K

-91.71%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brea, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.8% 525% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Brea, CA

$412 11% 60.1% $155

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Brea, CA

$379 10.1% 89.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Brea, CA

$353 9.4% 163% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Brea, CA

$129 3.5% 16.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Brea, CA

$69 1.8% 4% $2.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4% 72.3% $36

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $76 in Brea, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $412 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

3 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,585

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brea, CA 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brea, CA

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 Brea, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,159 in Brea, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $76 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,746 in Brea, CA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Brea, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.