Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balneario Camboriu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Balneario Camboriu: $963 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Balneario Camboriu
🇧🇷 Brazil
$963
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $963 per month in Balneario Camboriu vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Balneario Camboriu $963
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Balneario Camboriu vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Balneario Camboriu $1,607
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,251 per month in Balneario Camboriu vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Balneario Camboriu $2,251
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Balneario Camboriu is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Balneario Camboriu and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Balneario Camboriu 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.84 R$34.69
$10.76 MX$199
-36.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.90 R$202
$43.03 MX$795
-7.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.74 R$39.21
$11.79 MX$218
-34.35%
Cappuccino
$2.44 R$12.36
$3.87 MX$71.4
-36.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$6.05
$1.37 MX$25.29
-13.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 R$4.81
$0.84 MX$15.44
13.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.98 R$10.02
$3.10 MX$57.3
-36.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 R$12.06
$5.07 MX$93.6
-53.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 R$5.17
$1.44 MX$26.55
-29.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 R$7.91
$2.23 MX$41.23
-30.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 R$4.96
$1.47 MX$27.17
-33.33%
Eggs
$2.12 R$10.73
$2.53 MX$46.71
-16.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.55 R$43.33
$7.30 MX$135
17.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.58 R$23.22
$7.86 MX$145
-41.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.54 R$38.20
$12.79 MX$236
-41.05%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.14
$2.90 MX$53.6
-37.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 R$5.21
$1.44 MX$26.53
-28.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.03 R$5.23
$2.55 MX$47.07
-59.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.40 R$7.08
$2.06 MX$38.03
-32.04%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 R$4.20
$2.00 MX$36.97
-58.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 R$2.95
$2.01 MX$37.07
-71.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 R$3.76
$1.19 MX$22.02
-37.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 R$3.87
$1.26 MX$23.23
-39.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.10 R$15.71
$4.40 MX$81.4
-29.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.61 R$38.55
$9.59 MX$177
-20.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 R$5.58
$1.59 MX$29.41
-30.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 R$9.57
$2.81 MX$51.9
-32.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 R$4.94
$0.57 MX$10.47
71.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.99 R$60.8
$27.82 MX$514
-56.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.44
$4.98 MX$92.1
-74.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 R$4.21
$3.50 MX$64.6
-76.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.90 R$29.93
$5.40 MX$99.8
9.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R$6.74
$1.47 MX$27.08
-9.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K R$121.9K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
14.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K R$170.4K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
40.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.0 R$497
$84.2 MX$1,556
16.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 R$56.8
$23.99 MX$443
-53.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.84 R$106
$29.02 MX$536
-28.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.21 R$189
$63.0 MX$1,164
-40.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.80 R$80.1
$29.14 MX$539
-45.78%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 R$37.65
$4.94 MX$91.3
50.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$286 R$1,450
$204 MX$3,763
40.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,247 R$26.6K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
33.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 R$285
$43.60 MX$806
28.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.8 R$288
$43.12 MX$797
31.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 R$491
$75.8 MX$1,400
27.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.5 R$418
$88.6 MX$1,637
-6.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$452 R$2,293
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-55.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$322 R$1,632
$374 MX$6,911
-13.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,907 R$9,667
$1,708 MX$31.6K
11.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$791 R$4,012
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-28.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,624 R$18.4K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-8.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,452 R$12.4K
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-60.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balneario Camboriu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$503 R$2,551
$754 MX$13.9K
-33.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.68
11.45
-6.72%

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

Last update for Balneario Camboriu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Balneario Camboriu
$322
Playa del Carmen
$374 16.2% $52
Groceries & Markets
Balneario Camboriu
$176
Playa del Carmen
$258 46.9% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Balneario Camboriu
$132
Playa del Carmen
$113 14.1% $19
Eating Out
Balneario Camboriu
$130
Playa del Carmen
$202 55.1% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balneario Camboriu
$130
Playa del Carmen
$137 5.5% $7.1
Sport & Entertainment
Balneario Camboriu
$52
Playa del Carmen
$73 40% $21
Getting Around
Balneario Camboriu
$21
Playa del Carmen
$53 147% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $452 in Balneario Camboriu versus $1,008 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 50% 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 $40.00 in Balneario Camboriu versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $258 – making Balneario Camboriu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Balneario Camboriu
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
15:45 3:45 PM
13:45 1:45 PM
2 h behind Balneario Camboriu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
139,155
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Balneario Camboriu Playa del Carmen 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Balneario Camboriu
  • 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
Balneario Camboriu vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Balneario Camboriu and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $963 in Balneario Camboriu, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Balneario Camboriu compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,445 per month in Balneario Camboriu and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Balneario Camboriu and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balneario Camboriu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Balneario Camboriu or Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $963 in Balneario Camboriu and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 26%.
How do commuting costs compare in Balneario Camboriu and in Playa del Carmen?
Public transport costs about 132% less in Balneario Camboriu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Balneario Camboriu, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Balneario Camboriu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Balneario Camboriu and Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $963 in Balneario Camboriu to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Balneario Camboriu and Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Balneario Camboriu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Balneario Camboriu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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