Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Belem versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Belem $877
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Belem versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Belem $1,329
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,781 in Belem versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Belem $1,781
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Belem costs roughly 27% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belem 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 R$25.08

$10.92 MX$205

-57.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.25 R$98.2

$43.37 MX$815

-57.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 R$35.22

$11.78 MX$221

-44.48%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$9.28

$3.81 MX$71.6

-54.86%

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

$0.99 R$5.34

$1.28 MX$24.10

-22.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 R$2.35

$0.78 MX$14.71

-43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 R$8.10

$3.17 MX$59.5

-52.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R$11.70

$4.93 MX$92.7

-55.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.92

$1.41 MX$26.43

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 R$12.54

$2.22 MX$41.66

4.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.70

$1.42 MX$26.64

-11.97%

Eggs

$1.98 R$10.67

$2.52 MX$47.41

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R$45.44

$7.26 MX$137

16.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.16

$7.70 MX$145

-46.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 R$39.00

$12.69 MX$239

-42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R$12.05

$2.78 MX$52.3

-19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.12

$1.37 MX$25.71

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.48

$2.55 MX$47.94

-45.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.37

$2.12 MX$39.90

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.94 MX$36.43

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 R$2.89

$1.89 MX$35.44

-71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R$6.80

$1.15 MX$21.55

9.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$7.36

$1.18 MX$22.16

16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 R$13.19

$4.30 MX$80.7

-43.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.32 R$50.2

$9.95 MX$187

-6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$7.18

$1.58 MX$29.76

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 R$24.35

$2.67 MX$50.2

69.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.85

$0.55 MX$10.40

63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.93 R$172

$26.62 MX$500

19.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.93

$4.97 MX$93.4

-77.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R$5.90

$3.33 MX$62.6

-66.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$42.64

$5.36 MX$101

47.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.21

$1.44 MX$27.14

-20.14%

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

$21.8K R$117.5K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

5.62%

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

$30.0K R$161.6K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

27.94%

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

$93.5 R$503

$84.8 MX$1,594

10.28%

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

$10.82 R$58.3

$23.41 MX$440

-53.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 R$160

$28.66 MX$539

3.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.33 R$109

$57.1 MX$1,072

-64.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 R$199

$28.91 MX$543

27.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.15

$5.14 MX$96.6

45.14%

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

$104 R$561

$207 MX$3,882

-49.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 R$17.5K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-17.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.81 R$166

$43.35 MX$815

-28.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.86 R$225

$41.44 MX$779

1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$407

$74.2 MX$1,394

1.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.4 R$330

$89.3 MX$1,677

-31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R$2,709

$980 MX$18.4K

-48.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 R$1,436

$381 MX$7,157

-29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R$4,506

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-50.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 R$2,611

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-54.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,865 R$10.0K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-52.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,302 R$7,005

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-78.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 R$2,079

$735 MX$13.8K

-47.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

11.45

0.26%

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

Last update for Belem: October 27, 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

Belem

$267 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$209 23.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$134 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 2% $2.7

Eating Out

Belem

$95 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 113% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$94 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.4% $17

Getting Around

Belem

$42 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 19.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$35 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 91% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $503 in Belem and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Belem vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $255 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

2 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belem Playa del Carmen 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

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

Belem is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Belem. 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: $503 in Belem 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 17% less than in Belem. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Belem versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Belem 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.