Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boa Vista and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $758 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
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Boa Vista Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $758 per month in Boa Vista vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boa Vista $758
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Boa Vista vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,132
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,506 per month in Boa Vista vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,506
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Boa Vista is about 37% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Boa Vista and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Boa Vista 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 R$39.15

$10.67 MX$201

-33.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.99 R$121

$43.80 MX$824

-49.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 R$43.48

$11.79 MX$222

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$13.69

$3.79 MX$71.2

-34.30%

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

$0.82 R$4.52

$1.30 MX$24.41

-36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.46

$0.83 MX$15.69

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 R$7.43

$3.15 MX$59.2

-57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 R$11.27

$4.93 MX$92.9

-58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 R$12.38

$1.41 MX$26.51

60.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 R$9.46

$2.20 MX$41.32

-21.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.22

$1.47 MX$27.71

-10.20%

Eggs

$2.72 R$14.95

$2.50 MX$46.99

8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$7.29 MX$137

26.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 R$28.36

$7.95 MX$150

-34.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.13 R$50.1

$12.86 MX$242

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.89

$2.90 MX$54.5

-25.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.38 MX$26.03

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$9.00

$2.49 MX$46.88

-34.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.82

$2.03 MX$38.20

-11.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.14

$2.02 MX$38.11

-53.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.24

$1.90 MX$35.82

-49.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.94

$1.14 MX$21.54

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.97

$1.24 MX$23.32

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 R$14.33

$4.27 MX$80.4

-38.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 R$61.1

$9.81 MX$185

13.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.45

$1.59 MX$29.85

19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.25

$2.75 MX$51.7

-52.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.26

$0.51 MX$9.69

88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.75

$1.53 MX$28.76

-19.61%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

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

$26.1K R$143.4K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

12.34%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

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

$17.20 R$94.4

$23.19 MX$436

-25.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.22 R$160

$27.61 MX$520

5.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 R$169

$56.4 MX$1,062

-45.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 R$32.73

$5.00 MX$94.1

19.20%

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

$171 R$940

$207 MX$3,897

-17.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.45 R$123

$43.45 MX$818

-48.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.46 R$123

$42.54 MX$801

-47.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 R$354

$72.8 MX$1,369

-11.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.95 R$170

$88.4 MX$1,663

-64.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 R$1,829

$995 MX$18.7K

-66.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,397

$382 MX$7,197

-33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,554

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-72.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,850

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-68.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$737 R$4,046

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-81.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R$4,058

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-87.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 R$2,694

$832 MX$15.7K

-41.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Boa Vista: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boa Vista

$254 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 50.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Boa Vista

$221 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 16.5% $36

Eating Out

Boa Vista

$127 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 58% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Boa Vista

$63 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 76% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boa Vista

$46 * 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 189% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Boa Vista

$43 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 55.5% $24

Getting Around

Boa Vista

$3.8 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1217% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Boa Vista 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 70% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Boa Vista versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $257 – making Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

1 h behind Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

413,486

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boa Vista Playa del Carmen 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boa Vista
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 59% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,138 per month in Boa Vista 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 Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $758 in Boa Vista and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Boa Vista about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $171 per month in Boa Vista and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Boa Vista – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Boa Vista. 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.