Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cariacica and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cariacica: $880 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.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cariacica
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Cariacica Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cariacica

🇧🇷 Brazil

$880

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $880 per month in Cariacica vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cariacica $880
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,401 per month in Cariacica vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cariacica $1,401
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,922 per month in Cariacica vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cariacica $1,922
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Cariacica is about 27% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cariacica and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cariacica 35% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 R$30.70

$10.86 MX$201

-44.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.76 R$161

$44.21 MX$817

-28.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 R$40.08

$11.76 MX$217

-32.74%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$10.63

$3.68 MX$68.0

-42.93%

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

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.34 MX$24.79

-3.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.18

$0.82 MX$15.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 R$10.08

$3.06 MX$56.6

-34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.13

$4.94 MX$91.2

-39.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.34

$1.47 MX$27.17

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$8.51

$2.22 MX$40.95

-24.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.26

$1.48 MX$27.32

-16.22%

Eggs

$2.15 R$10.90

$2.49 MX$45.99

-13.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 R$48.42

$7.52 MX$139

26.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 R$21.12

$7.96 MX$147

-47.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.46 R$42.91

$12.57 MX$232

-32.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.02

$2.78 MX$51.3

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.43 MX$26.37

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.01

$2.62 MX$48.37

-54.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R$7.67

$2.14 MX$39.49

-29.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.34

$2.02 MX$37.38

-38.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.99 MX$36.74

-43.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$3.99

$1.14 MX$21.01

-30.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.93

$1.20 MX$22.18

-35.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$12.51

$4.26 MX$78.7

-42.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 R$40.53

$10.02 MX$185

-20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.72

$1.54 MX$28.41

-13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R$10.81

$2.66 MX$49.17

-19.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.11

$0.53 MX$9.73

90.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.96 R$223

$27.51 MX$508

59.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 R$6.72

$4.90 MX$90.6

-72.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.53

$3.43 MX$63.5

-74.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 R$40.56

$5.38 MX$99.4

48.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.45 MX$26.76

-12.41%

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

$24.0K R$121.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

13.29%

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

$33.2K R$168.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

44.20%

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

$74.3 R$377

$85.4 MX$1,577

-12.93%

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

$12.57 R$63.7

$23.46 MX$434

-46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.82 R$106

$28.43 MX$525

-26.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.76 R$131

$62.2 MX$1,149

-58.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.67 R$140

$28.68 MX$530

-3.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.24 R$36.69

$5.10 MX$94.3

41.96%

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

$277 R$1,402

$201 MX$3,715

37.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,134 R$36.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

80.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 R$280

$44.39 MX$820

24.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 R$254

$41.35 MX$764

21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 R$451

$72.7 MX$1,344

22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 R$374

$89.6 MX$1,656

-17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,831

$979 MX$18.1K

-63.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 R$1,236

$373 MX$6,887

-34.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 R$3,423

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-59.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 R$2,416

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-56.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,741 R$8,828

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-55.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,183 R$5,996

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-80.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Cariacica: October 17, 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

Cariacica

$244 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 52.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Cariacica

$192 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 34.6% $66

Eating Out

Cariacica

$122 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 64.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Cariacica

$121 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.5% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cariacica

$108 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 27.4% $30

Getting Around

Cariacica

$54 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 3.9% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cariacica

$40 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 80% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Cariacica versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Cariacica versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Cariacica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cariacica

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

13:20 1:20 PM

2 h behind Cariacica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

353,491

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 22, 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 22, 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

Cariacica Playa del Carmen 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cariacica
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,320 per month in Cariacica and $1,806 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 Cariacica, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Cariacica and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $880 in Cariacica and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cariacica, where all-in costs run around $880, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cariacica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cariacica – 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 Cariacica. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.