Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contagem and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $776 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$776

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $776 per month in Contagem vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Contagem $776
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,248 per month in Contagem vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Contagem $1,248
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,719 per month in Contagem vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Contagem $1,719
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Contagem is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Contagem and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Contagem 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.86 R$29.69

$10.86 MX$201

-46.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.09 R$153

$44.21 MX$817

-31.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 R$35.84

$11.76 MX$217

-39.88%

Cappuccino

$1.69 R$8.58

$3.68 MX$68.0

-54.08%

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

$1.35 R$6.85

$1.34 MX$24.79

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$0.82 MX$15.24

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 R$6.41

$3.06 MX$56.6

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.72

$4.94 MX$91.2

-49.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.84

$1.47 MX$27.17

-35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 R$9.30

$2.22 MX$40.95

-17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.85

$1.48 MX$27.32

-8.78%

Eggs

$2.01 R$10.20

$2.49 MX$45.99

-19.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 R$49.00

$7.52 MX$139

28.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 R$17.16

$7.96 MX$147

-57.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 R$38.41

$12.57 MX$232

-39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R$9.51

$2.78 MX$51.3

-32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$1.43 MX$26.37

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.87

$2.62 MX$48.37

-63.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.31

$2.14 MX$39.49

-23.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$2.02 MX$37.38

-46.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.86

$1.99 MX$36.74

-51.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.25

$1.14 MX$21.01

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.20 MX$22.18

-30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 R$8.12

$4.26 MX$78.7

-62.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 R$29.41

$10.02 MX$185

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.79

$1.54 MX$28.41

-38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.17

$2.66 MX$49.17

-46.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 R$7.31

$0.53 MX$9.73

171.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.3 R$402

$27.51 MX$508

188.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$5.74

$4.90 MX$90.6

-76.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.63

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 R$31.82

$5.38 MX$99.4

16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.45 MX$26.76

-11.72%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

10.78%

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

$32.2K R$163.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

39.70%

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

$77.6 R$393

$85.4 MX$1,577

-9.13%

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

$10.12 R$51.3

$23.46 MX$434

-56.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.31 R$97.9

$28.43 MX$525

-32.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 R$136

$62.2 MX$1,149

-56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.87 R$121

$28.68 MX$530

-16.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 R$35.59

$5.10 MX$94.3

37.65%

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

$143 R$725

$201 MX$3,715

-28.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,614 R$13.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-33.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 R$304

$44.39 MX$820

35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.09 R$249

$41.35 MX$764

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 R$340

$72.7 MX$1,344

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.13 R$244

$89.6 MX$1,656

-46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 R$1,132

$979 MX$18.1K

-77.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 R$779

$373 MX$6,887

-58.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$472 R$2,391

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-71.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 R$1,617

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-70.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,016 R$10.2K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-48.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 R$5,087

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-83.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$263 R$1,331

$738 MX$13.6K

-64.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.45

-6.81%

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

Last update for Contagem: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Contagem

$176 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 46.6% $82

Accommodation & Living

Contagem

$154 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 143% $219

Eating Out

Contagem

$108 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 86.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contagem

$107 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Contagem

$101 13%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.6% $11

Getting Around

Contagem

$90 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 42.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Contagem

$41 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 77.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Contagem 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.

Salaries run about 181% 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 $30.00 in Contagem versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $258 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contagem

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h behind Contagem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

621,863

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 20, 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 20, 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

Contagem Playa del Carmen 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Contagem
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,164 per month in Contagem 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 Contagem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 188% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $143 per month in Contagem and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – 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 Contagem. 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.