Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Americana and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $836 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Americana
Learn more

Americana Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$836

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Americana 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 Americana and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $836 in Americana versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Americana $836
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,319 in Americana versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Americana $1,319
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Americana versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Americana $1,802
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Americana costs roughly 31% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Americana 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.70 R$30.50

$10.92 MX$204

-47.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.50 R$120

$43.37 MX$808

-48.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 R$39.96

$11.78 MX$220

-36.59%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.91

$3.81 MX$71.0

-51.44%

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

$1.71 R$9.16

$1.28 MX$23.90

33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 R$6.22

$0.78 MX$14.59

48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 R$7.41

$3.17 MX$59.0

-56.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$12.06

$4.93 MX$92.0

-54.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$5.08

$1.41 MX$26.22

-32.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 R$8.58

$2.22 MX$41.33

-27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.25

$1.42 MX$26.42

-17.61%

Eggs

$2.02 R$10.78

$2.52 MX$47.03

-19.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 R$45.42

$7.26 MX$135

16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.94 R$21.05

$7.70 MX$143

-48.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.10 R$43.29

$12.69 MX$237

-36.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R$11.06

$2.78 MX$51.9

-25.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.37 MX$25.50

-9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.99

$2.55 MX$47.55

-56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.66

$2.12 MX$39.58

-32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.98

$1.94 MX$36.13

-42.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.40

$1.89 MX$35.16

-46.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.79

$1.15 MX$21.37

-38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.05

$1.18 MX$21.98

-35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 R$11.16

$4.30 MX$80.1

-51.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 R$44.97

$9.95 MX$185

-15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.58 MX$29.52

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R$10.57

$2.67 MX$49.79

-25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$5.22

$0.55 MX$10.31

78.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.09 R$220

$26.62 MX$496

54.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.64

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.56

$3.33 MX$62.1

-74.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 R$40.03

$5.36 MX$99.8

39.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.79

$1.44 MX$26.92

-25.00%

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

$21.7K R$116.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

5.12%

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

$30.9K R$165.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

31.63%

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

$51.0 R$272

$84.8 MX$1,581

-39.90%

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

$11.30 R$60.4

$23.41 MX$436

-51.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.28 R$108

$28.66 MX$534

-29.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.63 R$94.3

$57.1 MX$1,063

-69.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$28.91 MX$539

-9.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 R$35.56

$5.14 MX$95.8

29.38%

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

$262 R$1,402

$207 MX$3,851

26.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,752 R$36.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

71.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 R$405

$43.35 MX$808

74.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 R$340

$41.44 MX$772

53.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R$555

$74.2 MX$1,383

39.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 R$436

$89.3 MX$1,664

-8.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 R$1,819

$980 MX$18.3K

-65.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 R$1,240

$381 MX$7,099

-39.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 R$3,350

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-63.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 R$2,368

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-58.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,550 R$8,287

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-60.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 R$6,143

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-81.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 R$3,758

$735 MX$13.7K

-4.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Americana: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Americana

$232 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64.2% $149

Groceries & Markets

Americana

$181 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 40.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Americana

$146 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.5% $34

Eating Out

Americana

$113 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 78.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Americana

$83 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.8% $54

Getting Around

Americana

$51 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Americana

$31 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 118% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Americana and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23 in Americana vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $255 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Americana

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

2 h behind Americana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,240

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Americana
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

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

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Americana. 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: $340 in Americana versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 35% less than in Americana. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $262 in Americana versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Americana is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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