Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Crato and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Crato: $823 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Crato
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Crato Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Crato

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Crato versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Crato $823
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,308 in Crato versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Crato $1,308
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Crato versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Crato $1,793
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Crato costs roughly 32% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Crato 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 R$30.00

$10.67 MX$201

-48.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 R$161

$43.80 MX$824

-33.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R$39.05

$11.79 MX$222

-39.61%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$10.48

$3.79 MX$71.2

-49.60%

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

$1.25 R$6.87

$1.30 MX$24.41

-3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.84

$0.83 MX$15.69

-15.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.33

$3.15 MX$59.2

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R$15.47

$4.93 MX$92.9

-42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R$5.11

$1.41 MX$26.51

-34.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 R$8.47

$2.20 MX$41.32

-30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.47 MX$27.71

-21.09%

Eggs

$2.09 R$11.45

$2.50 MX$46.99

-16.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 R$47.12

$7.29 MX$137

17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.60

$7.95 MX$150

-48.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 R$43.04

$12.86 MX$242

-39.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R$11.34

$2.90 MX$54.5

-28.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.38 MX$26.03

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.15

$2.49 MX$46.88

-55.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.36

$2.03 MX$38.20

-25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.42

$2.02 MX$38.11

-42.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.52

$1.90 MX$35.82

-46.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.20

$1.14 MX$21.54

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.88

$1.24 MX$23.32

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$13.05

$4.27 MX$80.4

-44.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 R$41.29

$9.81 MX$185

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.70

$1.59 MX$29.85

-23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R$10.87

$2.75 MX$51.7

-28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$5.12

$0.51 MX$9.69

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.59 R$228

$27.39 MX$515

51.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.57

$4.76 MX$89.6

-74.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.71

$3.25 MX$61.1

-73.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 R$41.94

$5.39 MX$101

41.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 R$6.36

$1.53 MX$28.76

-24.18%

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

$21.9K R$120.1K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

3.13%

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

$31.6K R$173.7K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

36.05%

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

$71.7 R$393

$83.5 MX$1,571

-14.18%

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

$11.65 R$63.9

$23.19 MX$436

-49.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.02 R$110

$27.61 MX$520

-27.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.57 R$135

$56.4 MX$1,062

-56.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 R$140

$28.19 MX$531

-9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 R$36.60

$5.00 MX$94.1

33.40%

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

$264 R$1,451

$207 MX$3,897

27.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,689 R$36.7K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

27.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 R$284

$43.45 MX$818

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 R$250

$42.54 MX$801

7.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 R$453

$72.8 MX$1,369

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.5 R$370

$88.4 MX$1,663

-23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 R$1,856

$995 MX$18.7K

-66.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 R$1,258

$382 MX$7,197

-40.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,452

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 R$2,464

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-58.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 R$8,661

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-59.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 R$6,156

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-81.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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 Crato: October 31, 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

Crato

$229 27.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 66.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Crato

$180 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 43.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Crato

$111 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Crato

$111 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 80.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Crato

$103 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 30% $31

Getting Around

Crato

$51 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 0.7% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Crato

$38 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 75.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $338 in Crato and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Crato vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $257 per month, with Crato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Crato

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

2 h behind Crato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,050

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Crato Playa del Carmen 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Crato
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

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

Crato wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Crato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,235 in Crato and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $338 in Crato versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 34% less than in Crato. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $264 in Crato versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Crato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.