Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belo Horizonte and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $971 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
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Belo Horizonte Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$971

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Belo Horizonte $971
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Belo Horizonte versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Belo Horizonte $1,574
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,177 in Belo Horizonte versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Belo Horizonte $2,177
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Belo Horizonte costs roughly 20% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belo Horizonte 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 R$30.57

$10.86 MX$201

-44.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.56 R$190

$44.21 MX$817

-15.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 R$43.99

$11.76 MX$217

-26.19%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R$11.65

$3.68 MX$68.0

-37.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.34 MX$24.79

5.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.85

$0.82 MX$15.24

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 R$10.96

$3.06 MX$56.6

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 R$18.18

$4.94 MX$91.2

-27.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.11

$1.47 MX$27.17

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 R$9.06

$2.22 MX$40.95

-19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 R$10.25

$1.48 MX$27.32

36.49%

Eggs

$2.28 R$11.55

$2.49 MX$45.99

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.0

$7.52 MX$139

33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 R$21.75

$7.96 MX$147

-46.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 R$39.87

$12.57 MX$232

-37.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$9.75

$2.78 MX$51.3

-30.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.43 MX$26.37

-11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$2.62 MX$48.37

-54.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$2.14 MX$39.49

-25.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$2.02 MX$37.38

-46.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.99 MX$36.74

-51.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.10

$1.14 MX$21.01

-28.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.65

$1.20 MX$22.18

-23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.95

$4.26 MX$78.7

-40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 R$39.75

$10.02 MX$185

-21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.54 MX$28.41

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R$13.97

$2.66 MX$49.17

3.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.21

$0.53 MX$9.73

130.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 R$346

$27.51 MX$508

148.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 R$5.19

$4.90 MX$90.6

-79.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.85

$3.43 MX$63.5

-77.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 R$32.60

$5.38 MX$99.4

19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.45 MX$26.76

-13.10%

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

$23.3K R$118.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

10.26%

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

$33.8K R$171.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

47.05%

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

$78.8 R$400

$85.4 MX$1,577

-7.67%

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

$10.20 R$51.7

$23.46 MX$434

-56.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.16 R$107

$28.43 MX$525

-25.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.93 R$147

$62.2 MX$1,149

-53.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.55 R$226

$28.68 MX$530

55.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 R$39.15

$5.10 MX$94.3

51.37%

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

$463 R$2,348

$201 MX$3,715

130.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K R$69.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

245.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 R$314

$44.39 MX$820

39.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.18 R$244

$41.35 MX$764

16.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R$502

$72.7 MX$1,344

36.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 R$369

$89.6 MX$1,656

-18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 R$2,882

$979 MX$18.1K

-41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R$1,449

$373 MX$6,887

-23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 R$4,621

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,008

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-45.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,312 R$11.7K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-41.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 R$5,508

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-82.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$624 R$3,161

$738 MX$13.6K

-15.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.45

-1.75%

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

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belo Horizonte

$286 29.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 30.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Belo Horizonte

$198 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.7% $61

Eating Out

Belo Horizonte

$129 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 55.7% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Belo Horizonte

$127 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belo Horizonte

$110 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.6% $27

Getting Around

Belo Horizonte

$78 8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 33.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 63.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $569 in Belo Horizonte and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 21% 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: $38.00 in Belo Horizonte vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $258 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h behind Belo Horizonte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,315,560

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belo Horizonte Playa del Carmen 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Belo Horizonte
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

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

Belo Horizonte and Playa del Carmen differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($971 vs $1,210 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $569 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Belo Horizonte versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte 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.

Expats usually find Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.