Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alfenas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $731 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
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Alfenas Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$731

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alfenas and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $731 per month in Alfenas vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alfenas $731
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,297 per month in Alfenas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alfenas $1,297
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Alfenas vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alfenas $1,862
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Alfenas is about 39% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alfenas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Alfenas 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 R$19.61

$10.67 MX$199

-66.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.35 R$149

$43.80 MX$815

-37.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 R$29.64

$11.79 MX$219

-53.94%

Cappuccino

$0.89 R$4.84

$3.79 MX$70.5

-76.52%

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

$0.57 R$3.12

$1.30 MX$24.14

-56.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.93

$0.83 MX$15.51

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 R$11.83

$3.15 MX$58.6

-31.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R$14.92

$4.93 MX$91.8

-44.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.29

$1.41 MX$26.22

-18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 R$9.06

$2.20 MX$40.86

-24.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.63

$1.47 MX$27.40

-4.76%

Eggs

$2.53 R$13.81

$2.50 MX$46.46

1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 R$61.3

$7.29 MX$136

53.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$27.16

$7.95 MX$148

-37.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 R$54.6

$12.86 MX$239

-22.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$13.59

$2.90 MX$53.9

-14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.85

$1.38 MX$25.74

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.51

$2.49 MX$46.35

-44.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.52

$2.03 MX$37.77

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.15

$2.02 MX$37.68

-35.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.50

$1.90 MX$35.42

-37.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 R$6.26

$1.14 MX$21.30

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$5.02

$1.24 MX$23.05

-25.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.82 R$9.94

$4.27 MX$79.5

-57.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 R$50.8

$9.81 MX$183

-5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$9.12

$1.59 MX$29.51

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.89

$2.75 MX$51.1

-14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R$6.00

$0.51 MX$9.58

115.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.17 R$258

$27.39 MX$510

72.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.88

$4.76 MX$88.6

-73.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 R$5.15

$3.25 MX$60.5

-71.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 R$54.7

$5.39 MX$100

85.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.80

$1.53 MX$28.44

-18.95%

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

$21.6K R$118.2K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

2.06%

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

$27.5K R$150.0K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

18.05%

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

$55.7 R$304

$83.5 MX$1,554

-33.35%

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

$15.69 R$85.7

$23.19 MX$431

-32.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 R$102

$27.61 MX$514

-32.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.24 R$138

$56.4 MX$1,050

-55.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.35 R$122

$28.19 MX$525

-20.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 R$35.93

$5.00 MX$93.1

31.60%

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

$572 R$3,125

$207 MX$3,854

176.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,674 R$36.4K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

27.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 R$320

$43.45 MX$809

35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 R$306

$42.54 MX$792

31.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 R$509

$72.8 MX$1,354

28.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R$474

$88.4 MX$1,645

-1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,842

$995 MX$18.5K

-66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 R$622

$382 MX$7,116

-70.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,573

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-60.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 R$2,463

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-58.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,784 R$9,744

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-54.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 R$6,360

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-81.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$458 R$2,499

$832 MX$15.5K

-45.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.45

0.44%

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

Last update for Alfenas: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alfenas

$222 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 15.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Alfenas

$133 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 16.1% $21

Accommodation & Living

Alfenas

$114 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 236% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alfenas

$90 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 49.3% $44

Eating Out

Alfenas

$76 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 162% $124

Getting Around

Alfenas

$58 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 12.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Alfenas

$38 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 73% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Alfenas versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. 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 82% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Alfenas versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $257 – making Alfenas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

19:26 7:26 PM

2 h behind Alfenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,970

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alfenas Playa del Carmen 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Alfenas
Playa del Carmen

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

Alfenas vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $731 in Alfenas, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Alfenas comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,097 per month in Alfenas and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alfenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Alfenas and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Alfenas, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Alfenas 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 $731 in Alfenas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. 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.