Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuiaba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuiaba: $1,018 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,018

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Cuiaba versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuiaba $1,018
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,540 in Cuiaba versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuiaba $1,540
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,062 in Cuiaba versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cuiaba $2,062
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cuiaba costs roughly 15% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuiaba 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.16 R$28.07

$10.92 MX$205

-52.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.37 R$149

$43.37 MX$814

-36.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$40.92

$11.78 MX$221

-36.16%

Cappuccino

$1.71 R$9.31

$3.81 MX$71.5

-55.12%

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

$1.36 R$7.40

$1.28 MX$24.07

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.90

$0.78 MX$14.70

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 R$10.37

$3.17 MX$59.5

-39.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$13.80

$4.93 MX$92.7

-48.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.19

$1.41 MX$26.40

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$8.12

$2.22 MX$41.62

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.18

$1.42 MX$26.61

19.01%

Eggs

$2.95 R$16.04

$2.52 MX$47.36

17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 R$87.9

$7.26 MX$136

122.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 R$23.08

$7.70 MX$144

-44.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 R$55.7

$12.69 MX$238

-19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 R$12.01

$2.78 MX$52.3

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 R$12.68

$1.37 MX$25.68

70.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 R$13.03

$2.55 MX$47.89

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 R$15.55

$2.12 MX$39.86

34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.93

$1.94 MX$36.39

22.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.73

$1.89 MX$35.41

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$8.34

$1.15 MX$21.53

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.56

$1.18 MX$22.13

17.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.80

$4.30 MX$80.6

-49.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 R$59.3

$9.95 MX$187

9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 R$9.94

$1.58 MX$29.73

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.69

$2.67 MX$50.1

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.17

$0.55 MX$10.39

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.73 R$194

$26.62 MX$500

34.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.44 MX$27.11

-16.67%

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

$28.1K R$152.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

35.74%

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

$31.3K R$170.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

33.26%

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

$165 R$895

$84.8 MX$1,592

94.09%

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

$17.94 R$97.6

$23.41 MX$439

-23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 R$132

$28.66 MX$538

-15.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.40 R$133

$57.1 MX$1,071

-57.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 R$103

$28.91 MX$543

-34.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$30.76

$5.14 MX$96.5

10.12%

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

$408 R$2,217

$207 MX$3,878

97.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,796 R$47.8K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

123.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 R$393

$43.35 MX$814

66.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 R$251

$41.44 MX$778

11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 R$767

$74.2 MX$1,393

90.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$349

$89.3 MX$1,676

-28.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 R$1,686

$980 MX$18.4K

-68.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,188

$381 MX$7,150

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R$3,993

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-57.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$2,125

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-63.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 R$6,884

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-67.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 R$4,034

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-87.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 R$1,986

$735 MX$13.8K

-50.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.1

11.45

40.61%

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

Last update for Cuiaba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cuiaba

$265 26%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.8% $10

Accommodation & Living

Cuiaba

$218 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 74.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuiaba

$207 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cuiaba

$146 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.2% $34

Eating Out

Cuiaba

$107 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 88.6% $95

Getting Around

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cuiaba

$36 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 88.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $310 in Cuiaba and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Cuiaba vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

1 h behind Cuiaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,877

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cuiaba Playa del Carmen 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuiaba
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

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

Cuiaba wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cuiaba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Cuiaba. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $310 in Cuiaba versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuiaba – a meal for two runs $27 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,018 per month in Cuiaba versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Cuiaba is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cuiaba 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cuiaba wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.