Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caraguatatuba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $843 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
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Caraguatatuba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$843

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $843 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Caraguatatuba $843
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,363 in Caraguatatuba versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Caraguatatuba $1,363
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,883 in Caraguatatuba versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Caraguatatuba $1,883
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Caraguatatuba costs roughly 30% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caraguatatuba 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 R$39.04

$10.76 MX$199

-28.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.38 R$149

$43.03 MX$795

-31.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 R$46.80

$11.79 MX$218

-21.71%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R$11.99

$3.87 MX$71.4

-38.76%

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

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.37 MX$25.29

-10.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.48

$0.84 MX$15.44

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.96

$3.10 MX$57.3

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.60

$5.07 MX$93.6

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.44 MX$26.55

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 R$8.17

$2.23 MX$41.23

-27.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.47 MX$27.17

-4.76%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.96

$2.53 MX$46.71

-22.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.89 R$29.84

$7.30 MX$135

-19.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 R$16.82

$7.86 MX$145

-57.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 R$40.47

$12.79 MX$236

-37.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$10.89

$2.90 MX$53.6

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.46

$1.44 MX$26.53

15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.39

$2.55 MX$47.07

-42.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.06 MX$38.03

-31.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$2.00 MX$36.97

-36.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.13

$2.01 MX$37.07

-59.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.60

$1.19 MX$22.02

-40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.99

$1.26 MX$23.23

-37.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 R$10.96

$4.40 MX$81.4

-50.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 R$35.46

$9.59 MX$177

-27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.58

$1.59 MX$29.41

-5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 R$13.11

$2.81 MX$51.9

-7.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.96

$0.57 MX$10.47

71.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.55 R$119

$27.82 MX$514

-15.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 R$5.89

$4.98 MX$92.1

-76.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.70

$3.50 MX$64.6

-79.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 R$17.85

$5.40 MX$99.8

-34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.59

$1.47 MX$27.08

-11.56%

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

$15.7K R$79.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-25.42%

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

$29.5K R$149.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

23.44%

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

$66.3 R$336

$84.2 MX$1,556

-21.26%

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

$13.05 R$66.2

$23.99 MX$443

-45.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.44 R$114

$29.02 MX$536

-22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.64 R$110

$63.0 MX$1,164

-65.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 R$82.6

$29.14 MX$539

-44.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 R$41.40

$4.94 MX$91.3

65.38%

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

$223 R$1,130

$204 MX$3,763

9.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,271 R$21.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

8.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 R$293

$43.60 MX$806

32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 R$287

$43.12 MX$797

31.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 R$397

$75.8 MX$1,400

3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$88.6 MX$1,637

-33.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 R$2,110

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-58.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,201

$374 MX$6,911

-36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 R$4,453

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,648

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-52.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,681 R$8,523

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-57.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 R$6,170

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-80.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 R$1,704

$754 MX$13.9K

-55.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.15

11.45

-28.82%

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

Last update for Caraguatatuba: October 11, 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

Caraguatatuba

$237 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 57.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Caraguatatuba

$176 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 46.9% $83

Eating Out

Caraguatatuba

$145 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 40% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Caraguatatuba

$113 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 0.3% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caraguatatuba

$102 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 34.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Caraguatatuba

$38 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 91.9% $35

Getting Around

Caraguatatuba

$32 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 62.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $416 in Caraguatatuba and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 124% 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: $29.00 in Caraguatatuba vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $258 per month, with Caraguatatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

2 h behind Caraguatatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,873

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Caraguatatuba Playa del Carmen 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Caraguatatuba
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

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

Caraguatatuba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 124% 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: $416 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Caraguatatuba – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $843 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caraguatatuba but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Caraguatatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Caraguatatuba is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Caraguatatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.