Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Guarulhos is about 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guarulhos and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Guarulhos 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$10.86 MX$201

-19.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$44.21 MX$817

-9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$11.76 MX$217

-23.47%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$3.68 MX$68.0

-33.15%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.34 MX$24.79

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.82 MX$15.24

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.06 MX$56.6

-20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$4.94 MX$91.2

-21.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.47 MX$27.17

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$2.22 MX$40.95

-15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.48 MX$27.32

-10.14%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.49 MX$45.99

-1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$7.52 MX$139

67.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$7.96 MX$147

-39.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$12.57 MX$232

-14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$2.78 MX$51.3

-14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.43 MX$26.37

20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$2.62 MX$48.37

-41.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.14 MX$39.49

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$2.02 MX$37.38

-37.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.99 MX$36.74

-40.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.14 MX$21.01

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$1.20 MX$22.18

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$4.26 MX$78.7

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$10.02 MX$185

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.54 MX$28.41

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.66 MX$49.17

-6.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$0.53 MX$9.73

133.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$27.51 MX$508

281.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$4.90 MX$90.6

-76.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$5.38 MX$99.4

57.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.45 MX$26.76

-11.72%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

11.46%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

48.65%

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

$91.6 R$465

$85.4 MX$1,577

7.36%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$23.46 MX$434

-36.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$28.43 MX$525

-21.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$62.2 MX$1,149

-54.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$5.10 MX$94.3

97.06%

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

$429 R$2,173

$201 MX$3,715

113.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

179.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$44.39 MX$820

46.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$41.35 MX$764

37.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$72.7 MX$1,344

26.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$89.6 MX$1,656

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$979 MX$18.1K

-64.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$373 MX$6,887

-57.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-40.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-29.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-50.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-75.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$738 MX$13.6K

-48.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.45

-1.75%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 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

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 136% $215

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 29.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 6.4% $8.3

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 54.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 49.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos 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 95% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $258 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

2 h behind Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

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

Guarulhos Playa del Carmen 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 25% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos 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 Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Guarulhos and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. 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.