Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $1,002 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Itajai vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Itajai $1,002
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Itajai vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Itajai $1,225
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,448 per month in Itajai vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Itajai $1,448
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Itajai is about 17% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Itajai and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Itajai 26% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.75

$10.76 MX$199

-45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.47 R$205

$43.03 MX$795

-5.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 R$45.86

$11.79 MX$218

-23.24%

Cappuccino

$2.52 R$12.77

$3.87 MX$71.4

-34.88%

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

$1.16 R$5.88

$1.37 MX$25.29

-15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.87

$0.84 MX$15.44

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 R$13.83

$3.10 MX$57.3

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R$15.63

$5.07 MX$93.6

-39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.93

$1.44 MX$26.55

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$7.95

$2.23 MX$41.23

-29.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.47 MX$27.17

-29.93%

Eggs

$2.19 R$11.12

$2.53 MX$46.71

-13.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 R$49.60

$7.30 MX$135

33.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$22.87

$7.86 MX$145

-42.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 R$39.44

$12.79 MX$236

-39.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.30

$2.90 MX$53.6

-36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.84

$1.44 MX$26.53

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.09

$2.55 MX$47.07

-60.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.92

$2.06 MX$38.03

-33.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.00 MX$36.97

-58.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 R$2.95

$2.01 MX$37.07

-71.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.79

$1.19 MX$22.02

-36.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.94

$1.26 MX$23.23

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 R$14.97

$4.40 MX$81.4

-32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 R$37.03

$9.59 MX$177

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.30

$1.59 MX$29.41

-46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$9.65

$2.81 MX$51.9

-32.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$0.57 MX$10.47

54.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.46

$4.98 MX$92.1

-74.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.21

$3.50 MX$64.6

-76.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 R$30.93

$5.40 MX$99.8

12.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.81

$1.47 MX$27.08

-8.84%

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

$23.6K R$119.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

12.61%

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

$33.4K R$169.3K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

39.73%

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

$101 R$514

$84.2 MX$1,556

20.29%

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

$11.17 R$56.6

$23.99 MX$443

-53.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.25 R$118

$29.02 MX$536

-19.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.46 R$139

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 R$38.96

$4.94 MX$91.3

55.67%

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

$283 R$1,435

$204 MX$3,763

39.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,139 R$26.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

30.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 R$369

$43.60 MX$806

66.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.0 R$375

$43.12 MX$797

71.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 R$496

$75.8 MX$1,400

29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 R$410

$88.6 MX$1,637

-8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,524

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R$1,812

$374 MX$6,911

-4.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 R$7,232

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,324 R$11.8K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-41.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 R$3,201

$754 MX$13.9K

-16.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.68

11.45

-6.72%

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

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itajai

$357 35.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 4.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Itajai

$178 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 45.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Itajai

$146 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajai

$136 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 1.1% $1.5

Eating Out

Itajai

$133 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 52.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Itajai

$43 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 70.1% $30

Getting Around

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 488% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $498 in Itajai versus $1,008 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 19% 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 Itajai versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $258 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

23:19 11:19 PM

2 h behind Itajai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,054

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 19, 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 19, 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

Itajai Playa del Carmen 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Itajai
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,002 in Itajai, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,503 per month in Itajai and $1,816 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 Itajai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,002 in Itajai and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Itajai and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Itajai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,002 in Itajai to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Itajai. 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.