Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperatriz and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperatriz $854
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Imperatriz versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperatriz $1,356
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,859 in Imperatriz versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Imperatriz $1,859
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Imperatriz costs roughly 29% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imperatriz 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.59 R$30.67

$10.67 MX$199

-47.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.30 R$177

$43.80 MX$815

-26.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 R$42.55

$11.79 MX$219

-34.27%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$10.13

$3.79 MX$70.5

-51.19%

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

$1.35 R$7.42

$1.30 MX$24.14

3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.46

$0.83 MX$15.51

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$11.05

$3.15 MX$58.6

-36.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 R$16.63

$4.93 MX$91.8

-38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.27

$1.41 MX$26.22

-19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.92

$2.20 MX$40.86

-34.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.95

$1.47 MX$27.40

-13.61%

Eggs

$2.32 R$12.71

$2.50 MX$46.47

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 R$40.65

$7.29 MX$136

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 R$19.33

$7.95 MX$148

-55.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 R$48.34

$12.86 MX$239

-31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$12.60

$2.90 MX$53.9

-20.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.66

$1.38 MX$25.74

-12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$5.09

$2.49 MX$46.36

-62.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.79

$2.03 MX$37.78

-30.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.12

$2.02 MX$37.69

-45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.28

$1.90 MX$35.42

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.18

$1.14 MX$21.30

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.98

$1.24 MX$23.06

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 R$10.78

$4.27 MX$79.5

-54.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 R$35.56

$9.81 MX$183

-33.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.90

$1.59 MX$29.51

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.44

$2.75 MX$51.1

-30.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 R$4.54

$0.51 MX$9.58

62.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.87 R$241

$27.39 MX$510

60.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.75

$4.76 MX$88.6

-74.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$4.08

$3.25 MX$60.5

-77.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.59 R$41.67

$5.39 MX$100

40.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.26

$1.53 MX$28.44

-25.49%

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

$22.8K R$125.3K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

7.58%

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

$30.2K R$165.7K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

29.81%

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

$65.1 R$357

$83.5 MX$1,554

-22.07%

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

$12.79 R$70.2

$23.19 MX$431

-44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.61 R$108

$27.61 MX$514

-28.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.65 R$130

$56.4 MX$1,050

-58.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.82 R$136

$28.19 MX$525

-11.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 R$33.17

$5.00 MX$93.1

20.80%

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

$266 R$1,460

$207 MX$3,854

28.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 R$32.9K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

14.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.69 R$251

$43.45 MX$809

5.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 R$257

$42.54 MX$792

10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 R$486

$72.8 MX$1,354

21.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 R$376

$88.4 MX$1,645

-22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,583

$995 MX$18.5K

-71.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 R$1,468

$382 MX$7,116

-30.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,358

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-63.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 R$2,771

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-53.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,613 R$8,855

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-58.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,168 R$6,412

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-80.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Imperatriz: 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

Imperatriz

$268 31.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 42.9% $115

Groceries & Markets

Imperatriz

$176 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 46.7% $82

Eating Out

Imperatriz

$113 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 76.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Imperatriz

$112 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 1% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperatriz

$97 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 37.8% $37

Getting Around

Imperatriz

$52 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 3.2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Imperatriz

$36 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 85.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $288 in Imperatriz and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Imperatriz vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $257 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

2 h behind Imperatriz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,110

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Imperatriz Playa del Carmen 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Imperatriz
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

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

Imperatriz is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,281 in Imperatriz 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: $288 in Imperatriz versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.