Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and New Braunfels, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,550 in New Braunfels, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in New Braunfels, TX
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New Braunfels, TX Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

New Braunfels, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in New Braunfels, TX

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 New Braunfels, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,550 in New Braunfels, TX, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
New Braunfels, TX $2,550

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,633 in New Braunfels, TX, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
New Braunfels, TX $3,633

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,715 in New Braunfels, TX, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
New Braunfels, TX $4,715

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper than New Braunfels, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while New Braunfels, TX is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$15.19 $15.19

-28.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$66.6 $66.6

-33.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.91 $11.91

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.47 $5.47

-32.72%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.93 $2.93

-54.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.72 $1.72

-52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$4.89 $4.89

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.06 $6.06

-18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.75 $0.75

96.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.17 $3.17

-29.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.12 $2.12

-30.19%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.78 $2.78

-10.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.05 $12.05

-37.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.29 $9.29

-14.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$12.37 $12.37

1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$6.32 $6.32

-56.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.18 $1.18

21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.37 $3.37

-22.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.63 $3.63

-41.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.34 $2.34

-13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.87 $2.87

-30.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.77 $1.77

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.69 $1.69

-28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$6.63 $6.63

-35.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$13.83 $13.83

-27.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.76 $1.76

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.94 $3.94

-32.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$155 $155

-82.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$10.08 $10.08

-51.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.85 $1.85

85.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$29.71 $29.71

-81.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.87 $0.87

66.67%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$27.0K $27.0K

-21.74%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.6K $25.6K

-10.25%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$176 $176

-51.45%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$39.57 $39.57

-40.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$55.2 $55.2

-48.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$32.66 $32.66

90.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.35 $11.35

-55.07%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$756 $756

-73.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$17.8K $17.8K

-77.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$56.7 $56.7

-21.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$24.70 $24.70

67.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$84.4 $84.4

-13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$120 $120

-25.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,609 $1,609

-39.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,310 $1,310

-71.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,331 $2,331

-27.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$2,008 $2,008

-45.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,919 $1,919

105.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,020 $2,020

203.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$4,323 $4,323

-82.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.57

74.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for New Braunfels, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

New Braunfels, TX

$1.3K 51.4% 252% $938

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

New Braunfels, TX

$333 13.1% 29% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

New Braunfels, TX

$278 10.9% 38.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

New Braunfels, TX

$271 10.6% 97.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

New Braunfels, TX

$128 5% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

New Braunfels, TX

$55 2.2% 23.5% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

New Braunfels, TX

$174 * 6.8% 237% $123

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,609 in New Braunfels, TX. 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 486% higher in New Braunfels, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $67.0 in New Braunfels, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $333 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇸 New Braunfels, TX

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

90,403

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen New Braunfels, TX 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
New Braunfels, TX

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 New Braunfels, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,550 in New Braunfels, TX – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,825 in New Braunfels, TX. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $67.0 in New Braunfels, TX. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,550 in New Braunfels, TX. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in New Braunfels, TX at $2,550. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Braunfels, TX 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 $2,550 in New Braunfels, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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