Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Brasilia $916
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Brasilia $1,514
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Brasilia $2,112
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 24% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.15

$10.92 MX$204

-22.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$43.37 MX$810

-15.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.72

$11.78 MX$220

-32.26%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.51

$3.81 MX$71.2

-33.60%

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

$1.42 R$7.60

$1.28 MX$23.96

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.78 MX$14.63

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.77

$3.17 MX$59.2

-30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.10

$4.93 MX$92.2

-23.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.41 MX$26.28

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$2.22 MX$41.43

-12.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.42 MX$26.48

-12.68%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.17

$2.52 MX$47.14

-9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.8

$7.26 MX$136

53.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.68

$7.70 MX$144

-49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.90

$12.69 MX$237

-32.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.34

$2.78 MX$52.0

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.38

$1.37 MX$25.56

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.73

$2.55 MX$47.66

-50.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.14

$2.12 MX$39.67

-28.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.95

$1.94 MX$36.22

-42.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.89 MX$35.24

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$1.15 MX$21.42

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.00

$1.18 MX$22.03

-21.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.65

$4.30 MX$80.3

-45.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.04

$9.95 MX$186

-22.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.58 MX$29.59

-21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.60

$2.67 MX$49.91

-11.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.55 MX$10.34

32.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$26.62 MX$497

11.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.43

$4.97 MX$92.9

-79.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$3.33 MX$62.2

-74.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.89

$5.36 MX$100

7.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.68

$1.44 MX$26.98

-13.19%

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

$22.0K R$117.5K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

6.23%

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

$31.9K R$170.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

35.74%

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

$92.1 R$493

$84.8 MX$1,584

8.64%

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

$11.85 R$63.4

$23.41 MX$437

-49.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$28.66 MX$535

-26.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$57.1 MX$1,066

-46.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$28.91 MX$540

-9.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.95

$5.14 MX$96.0

45.14%

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

$764 R$4,091

$207 MX$3,860

270.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

300.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$282

$43.35 MX$810

21.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$41.44 MX$774

1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$74.2 MX$1,386

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$89.3 MX$1,668

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,767

$980 MX$18.3K

-47.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,292

$381 MX$7,116

-36.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,188

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-32.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,102

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-46.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-39.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,979

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-72.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,197

$735 MX$13.7K

6.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.45

5.85%

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

Last update for Brasilia: 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

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 57.7% $139

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27% $54

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 35% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 9.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 48.3% $22

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $255 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

2 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Playa del Carmen 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

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

Brasilia and Playa del Carmen differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($916 vs $1,204 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Brasilia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $517 in Brasilia versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $37 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $916 in Brasilia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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.