Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajubá, MG and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $867 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
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Itajubá, MG Living Index
59

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

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Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$867

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Itajubá, MG $867
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,285 in Itajubá, MG versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Itajubá, MG $1,285
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,703 in Itajubá, MG versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Itajubá, MG $1,703
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Itajubá, MG costs roughly 28% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Itajubá, MG 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 R$23.13

$10.76 MX$199

-57.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 R$122

$43.03 MX$795

-44.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 R$22.20

$11.79 MX$218

-62.85%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R$6.53

$3.87 MX$71.4

-66.67%

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

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.37 MX$25.29

-18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.35

$0.84 MX$15.44

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 R$9.25

$3.10 MX$57.3

-41.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 R$14.84

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.44 MX$26.55

-34.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 R$8.38

$2.23 MX$41.23

-26.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.94

$1.47 MX$27.17

-34.01%

Eggs

$2.38 R$12.05

$2.53 MX$46.71

-5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 R$54.3

$7.30 MX$135

46.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 R$18.16

$7.86 MX$145

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.88 R$39.97

$12.79 MX$236

-38.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 R$14.59

$2.90 MX$53.6

-0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.44 MX$26.53

9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.17

$2.55 MX$47.07

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.46

$2.06 MX$38.03

-9.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$2.00 MX$36.97

-46.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.24

$2.01 MX$37.07

-48.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.19 MX$22.02

-43.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$1.26 MX$23.23

-43.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.47

$4.40 MX$81.4

-30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.29

$9.59 MX$177

-15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.59 MX$29.41

-26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.81 MX$51.9

-43.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.20

$0.57 MX$10.47

80.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.43 R$205

$27.82 MX$514

45.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.13

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.57

$3.50 MX$64.6

-74.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 R$46.95

$5.40 MX$99.8

71.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.47 MX$27.08

-23.13%

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

$23.7K R$120.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

13.03%

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

$32.7K R$165.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

36.91%

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

$133 R$675

$84.2 MX$1,556

58.12%

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

$12.28 R$62.3

$23.99 MX$443

-48.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 R$94.1

$29.02 MX$536

-36.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.62 R$79.2

$63.0 MX$1,164

-75.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.34 R$128

$29.14 MX$539

-13.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.62

$4.94 MX$91.3

58.30%

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

$587 R$2,977

$204 MX$3,763

188.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K R$66.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

232.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.71 R$217

$43.60 MX$806

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 R$254

$43.12 MX$797

16.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 R$375

$75.8 MX$1,400

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 R$342

$88.6 MX$1,637

-23.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 R$1,751

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-65.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,198

$374 MX$6,911

-36.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,645

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-69.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R$1,853

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-66.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 R$8,781

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-56.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,177 R$5,969

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-80.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$297 R$1,503

$754 MX$13.9K

-60.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.45

4.19%

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

Last update for Itajubá, MG: 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

Itajubá, MG

$236 27.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 58.3% $138

Groceries & Markets

Itajubá, MG

$192 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 34.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajubá, MG

$164 18.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 16.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Itajubá, MG

$105 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 7.3% $7.7

Eating Out

Itajubá, MG

$87 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 132% $115

Getting Around

Itajubá, MG

$50 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 4.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Itajubá, MG

$31 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 133% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Itajubá, MG and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 154% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Itajubá, MG vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $258 per month, with Itajubá, MG cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

2 h behind Itajubá, MG

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,073

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Itajubá, MG
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

Itajubá, MG vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itajubá, MG and Playa del Carmen differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($867 vs $1,210 including rent). Itajubá, MG is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 154% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $346 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $587 in Itajubá, MG versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Itajubá, MG but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Itajubá, MG 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.

Safety-wise, Itajubá, MG and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Itajubá, MG gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.