Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerquilho and Playa del Carmen

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

Cerquilho, Brazil
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Cerquilho
🇧🇷 Brazil
$758
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

  • Cerquilho $758
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,232 per month in Cerquilho vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Cerquilho $1,232
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,706 per month in Cerquilho vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Cerquilho $1,706
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Cerquilho is about 37% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.42 R$35.22
$10.67 MX$199
-39.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.11 R$165
$43.80 MX$815
-31.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 R$41.39
$11.79 MX$219
-36.05%
Cappuccino
$1.87 R$10.28
$3.79 MX$70.5
-50.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 R$8.12
$1.30 MX$24.14
13.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 R$6.17
$0.83 MX$15.51
34.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.11 R$6.07
$3.15 MX$58.6
-64.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R$15.05
$4.93 MX$91.8
-44.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 R$6.39
$1.41 MX$26.22
-17.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 R$7.98
$2.20 MX$40.86
-34.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 R$6.12
$1.47 MX$27.40
-24.49%
Eggs
$2.56 R$14.06
$2.50 MX$46.47
2.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.44 R$46.33
$7.29 MX$136
15.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$1.89 R$10.40
$7.95 MX$148
-76.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.73 R$31.46
$12.86 MX$239
-55.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 R$10.39
$2.90 MX$53.9
-34.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 R$9.24
$1.38 MX$25.74
21.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 R$6.21
$2.49 MX$46.36
-54.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 R$9.67
$2.03 MX$37.78
-13.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.07
$2.02 MX$37.69
-36.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 R$2.98
$1.90 MX$35.42
-71.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 R$4.58
$1.14 MX$21.30
-26.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 R$3.18
$1.24 MX$23.06
-53.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.28 R$7.05
$4.27 MX$79.5
-70.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.50 R$46.66
$9.81 MX$183
-13.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 R$5.99
$1.59 MX$29.51
-31.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 R$15.15
$2.75 MX$51.1
0.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 R$5.17
$0.51 MX$9.58
84.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.23 R$232
$27.39 MX$510
54.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.24 R$6.80
$4.76 MX$88.6
-73.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 R$7.23
$3.25 MX$60.5
-59.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.84 R$48.53
$5.39 MX$100
64.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 R$6.26
$1.53 MX$28.44
-25.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K R$119.1K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
2.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.6K R$173.3K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
35.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.77 R$224
$83.5 MX$1,554
-51.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.92 R$70.9
$23.19 MX$431
-44.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.85 R$81.5
$27.61 MX$514
-46.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.40 R$134
$56.4 MX$1,050
-56.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.36 R$139
$28.19 MX$525
-10.04%
Cinema Ticket
$7.24 R$39.72
$5.00 MX$93.1
44.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$401 R$2,198
$207 MX$3,854
93.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,272 R$39.9K
$5,231 MX$97.4K
39.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.47 R$173
$43.45 MX$809
-27.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.95 R$104
$42.54 MX$792
-55.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.6 R$305
$72.8 MX$1,354
-23.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 R$437
$88.4 MX$1,645
-9.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$332 R$1,824
$995 MX$18.5K
-66.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$226 R$1,242
$382 MX$7,116
-40.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$638 R$3,499
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-61.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$456 R$2,502
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-57.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,578 R$8,659
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-59.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,129 R$6,199
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-81.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cerquilho
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.12
11.45
-2.88%

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

Last update for Cerquilho: November 1, 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
Cerquilho
$226
Playa del Carmen
$382 68.9% $156
Groceries & Markets
Cerquilho
$169
Playa del Carmen
$257 52.3% $88
Eating Out
Cerquilho
$118
Playa del Carmen
$200 69.9% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Cerquilho
$84
Playa del Carmen
$111 33.1% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerquilho
$69
Playa del Carmen
$134 95.9% $66
Getting Around
Cerquilho
$54
Playa del Carmen
$50 6.3% $3.4
Sport & Entertainment
Cerquilho
$39
Playa del Carmen
$66 70.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Cerquilho 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerquilho versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $257 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Cerquilho
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
14:37 2:37 PM
12:37 12:37 PM
2 h behind Cerquilho
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
44,695
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cerquilho Playa del Carmen 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cerquilho
  • 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
Cerquilho vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cerquilho or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen costs about 59% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cerquilho and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,137 per month in Cerquilho and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cerquilho or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do childcare costs compare in Cerquilho and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $401 per month in Cerquilho and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Cerquilho or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cerquilho or Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $758 in Cerquilho to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Cerquilho vs other spots: cost of living compared

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