Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and Playa del Carmen

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Fortaleza is 38.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Fortaleza is 15.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 42.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.29 R$29.38
$11.99 MX$227
-55.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.85 R$188
$42.47 MX$803
-20.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.88 R$38.18
$10.47 MX$198
-34.29%
Cappuccino
$2.13 R$11.85
$3.6 MX$68.2
-40.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.1 R$6.12
$1.44 MX$27.16
-23.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.48
$0.89 MX$16.79
-29.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 R$10.86
$3.09 MX$58.5
-36.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 R$20.55
$4.58 MX$86.6
-19.21%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 R$6.28
$1.38 MX$26.04
-18.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 R$10.47
$1.85 MX$34.9
2.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 R$6.25
$1.57 MX$29.68
-28.03%
Eggs
$1.8 R$10
$2.55 MX$48.3
-29.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.99 R$38.81
$8.61 MX$163
-18.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.31 R$18.37
$8.54 MX$161
-61.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.87 R$43.71
$10.98 MX$208
-28.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 R$14.06
$2.72 MX$51.4
-6.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 R$6.63
$1.51 MX$28.57
-21.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.79 R$4.36
$1.88 MX$35.63
-57.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 R$8.09
$2.19 MX$41.42
-33.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.3 R$7.23
$1.87 MX$35.3
-30.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 R$5.83
$2.19 MX$41.37
-52.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 R$5.33
$1.07 MX$20.23
-10.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.31
$1.09 MX$20.64
-28.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16 R$11.97
$3.96 MX$74.9
-45.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.35 R$35.25
$8.86 MX$167
-28.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R$7.45
$1.72 MX$32.53
-22.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 R$8.59
$2.61 MX$49.37
-40.61%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 R$4.67
$0.52 MX$9.74
61.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.51 R$169
$26.59 MX$503
14.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 R$5.84
$3.24 MX$61.2
-67.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 R$4.15
$2.38 MX$44.94
-68.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.04 R$33.5
$3.11 MX$58.7
94.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 R$6.05
$1.31 MX$24.85
-16.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K R$113.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-32.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K R$153.8K
$24K MX$453.6K
15.50%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 R$605
$84.2 MX$1,592
29.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.68 R$87
$22.14 MX$419
-29.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.07 R$100
$30.14 MX$570
-40.05%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.42 R$124
$52 MX$983
-56.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.68 R$237
$18.72 MX$354
127.99%
Cinema Ticket
$6.35 R$35.27
$5.07 MX$95.9
25.25%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$228 R$1,263
$200 MX$3,787
13.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,176 R$12.1K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-59.20%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.64 R$270
$35.74 MX$676
36.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.27 R$246
$39.8 MX$753
11.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.1 R$500
$79 MX$1,493
14.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.3 R$318
$88.4 MX$1,671
-35.16%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$314 R$1,744
$965 MX$18.3K
-67.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$197 R$1,091
$474 MX$8,968
-58.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$370 R$2,055
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-77.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 R$1,927
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-71.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,397 R$7,756
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-54.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$781 R$4,335
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-89.63%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Fortaleza
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$348 R$1,933
$792 MX$15K
-56.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
11.42
3.24%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Fortaleza: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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