Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascavel and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cascavel: $708 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cascavel
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Cascavel Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cascavel

🇧🇷 Brazil

$708

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $708 per month in Cascavel vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cascavel $708
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,054 per month in Cascavel vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cascavel $1,054
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,401 per month in Cascavel vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cascavel $1,401
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Cascavel is about 42% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cascavel and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Cascavel 48% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.87 R$44.96

$10.76 MX$199

-17.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.04 R$122

$43.03 MX$795

-44.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 R$34.62

$11.79 MX$218

-42.07%

Cappuccino

$1.64 R$8.32

$3.87 MX$71.4

-57.62%

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

$1.11 R$5.63

$1.37 MX$25.29

-18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.65

$0.84 MX$15.44

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R$5.93

$3.10 MX$57.3

-62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$11.38

$5.07 MX$93.6

-55.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.52

$1.44 MX$26.55

-24.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 R$6.86

$2.23 MX$41.23

-39.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.78

$1.47 MX$27.17

17.69%

Eggs

$2.24 R$11.35

$2.53 MX$46.71

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 R$52.9

$7.30 MX$135

43.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 R$18.17

$7.86 MX$145

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 R$36.36

$12.79 MX$236

-43.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 R$12.03

$2.90 MX$53.6

-18.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 R$4.44

$1.44 MX$26.53

-39.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R$3.13

$2.55 MX$47.07

-75.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.99

$2.01 MX$37.07

-41.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.87

$1.26 MX$23.23

-39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 R$9.71

$4.40 MX$81.4

-56.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 R$67.3

$9.59 MX$177

38.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.59 MX$29.41

16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.08

$2.81 MX$51.9

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.57 MX$10.47

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.24%

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

$26.6K R$134.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

26.75%

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

$32.6K R$165.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

36.27%

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

$57.8 R$293

$84.2 MX$1,556

-31.37%

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

$10.70 R$54.3

$23.99 MX$443

-55.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 R$121

$29.02 MX$536

-17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.79 R$95.3

$63.0 MX$1,164

-70.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$31.09

$4.94 MX$91.3

24.09%

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

$221 R$1,119

$204 MX$3,763

8.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.52 R$104

$43.60 MX$806

-52.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 R$200

$43.12 MX$797

-8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 R$366

$75.8 MX$1,400

-4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,710

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-66.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 R$1,067

$374 MX$6,911

-43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 R$2,685

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-69.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 R$1,552

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-72.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,514 R$7,674

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-61.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 R$4,996

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-84.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,558

$754 MX$13.9K

-33.09%

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 Cascavel: October 10, 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

Cascavel

$210 29.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 77.7% $164

Groceries & Markets

Cascavel

$183 * 25.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 41.4% $76

Eating Out

Cascavel

$128 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 58% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascavel

$92 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 48.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cascavel

$60 * 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 89.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cascavel

$31 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 135% $42

Getting Around

Cascavel

$3.8 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1291% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Cascavel versus $1,008 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 49% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cascavel versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $258 – making Cascavel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cascavel

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

2 h behind Cascavel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,051

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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Highest

Between locations

Cascavel Playa del Carmen 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cascavel
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $708 in Cascavel, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,062 per month in Cascavel and $1,816 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 Cascavel, 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 $24.00 in Cascavel and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cascavel, where all-in costs run around $708, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Cascavel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $708 in Cascavel to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cascavel. 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.