Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Seria $567

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $906 in Seria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Seria $906

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,246 in Seria, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Seria $1,246

Playa del Carmen costs about 112% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Seria are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Seria 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.17 BND 4.05

244.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$27.77 BND 35.52

56.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.41 BND 6.92

117.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 BND 1.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.95

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$3.82 BND 4.88

-0.26%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.94 BND 1.21

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.55 BND 0.70

41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.88 BND 2.40

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.42 BND 1.81

56.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.24 BND 1.58

14.52%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.37 BND 1.75

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.16 BND 7.87

17.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.54 BND 5.80

69.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.94 BND 13.99

16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.05 BND 3.90

-8.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.17 BND 2.78

-36.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.98 BND 3.81

-14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$2.58 BND 3.30

-17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.67 BND 2.13

16.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.99 BND 2.55

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$3.71 BND 4.75

-69.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.81 BND 1.03

45.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.85 BND 30.50

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 BND 4.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 BND 1.41

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$15.37 BND 19.66

-72.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$3.81 BND 4.87

30.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$3.22 BND 4.12

3.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$11.61 BND 14.86

-53.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.30 BND 0.38

380.00%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$42.9K BND 54.8K

-51.80%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$37.2K BND 47.5K

-36.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$61.4 BND 78.5

38.14%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$15.76 BND 20.16

48.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$64.4 BND 82.4

-55.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$26.90 BND 34.40

112.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$5.55 BND 7.10

-7.39%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$217 BND 278

-4.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$9,715 BND 12.4K

-59.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$31.37 BND 40.13

38.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$27.14 BND 34.71

52.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$49.79 BND 63.7

49.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$47.70 BND 61.0

87.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$689 BND 882

6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.88

195.10%

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 Seria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Seria

$204 36% 19.9% $51

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Seria

$93 16.5% 53.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Seria

$142 25% 3.5% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Seria

$70 12.4% 37.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Seria

$38 6.7% 43.6% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Seria

$20 * 3.5% 60.5% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 7% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $204 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

30,097

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.698 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.698 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Seria 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $851 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $567 in Seria. That makes Seria about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $217 in Seria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $567 in Seria to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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