Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maceio - Alagoas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $851 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index
59

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

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Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Maceio - Alagoas $851
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,333 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Maceio - Alagoas $1,333
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,815 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Maceio - Alagoas $1,815
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Maceio - Alagoas costs roughly 30% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maceio - Alagoas 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.92 R$30.02

$10.76 MX$199

-44.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.81 R$151

$43.03 MX$795

-30.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R$29.75

$11.79 MX$218

-50.21%

Cappuccino

$1.77 R$8.97

$3.87 MX$71.4

-54.26%

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

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.37 MX$25.29

-20.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.46

$0.84 MX$15.44

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 R$8.30

$3.10 MX$57.3

-47.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 R$21.20

$5.07 MX$93.6

-17.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.62

$1.44 MX$26.55

-22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.51

$2.23 MX$41.23

-7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.36

$1.47 MX$27.17

-27.89%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.86

$2.53 MX$46.71

-23.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R$48.35

$7.30 MX$135

30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 R$22.91

$7.86 MX$145

-42.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 R$38.83

$12.79 MX$236

-40.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 R$14.48

$2.90 MX$53.6

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.44 MX$26.53

-21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$2.55 MX$47.07

-45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.87

$2.06 MX$38.03

-34.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.20

$2.00 MX$36.97

-29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.70

$2.01 MX$37.07

-34.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 R$2.94

$1.19 MX$22.02

-51.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 R$4.24

$1.26 MX$23.23

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 R$10.61

$4.40 MX$81.4

-52.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 R$35.27

$9.59 MX$177

-27.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 R$8.16

$1.59 MX$29.41

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.36

$2.81 MX$51.9

-48.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 R$4.00

$0.57 MX$10.47

38.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 R$1.96

$4.98 MX$92.1

-92.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 R$2.12

$3.50 MX$64.6

-88.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.93%

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

$21.7K R$110.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

3.59%

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

$31.4K R$159.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

31.20%

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

$81.5 R$413

$84.2 MX$1,556

-3.25%

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

$16.69 R$84.6

$23.99 MX$443

-30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 R$90.3

$29.02 MX$536

-38.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.34 R$123

$63.0 MX$1,164

-61.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 R$30.32

$4.94 MX$91.3

21.05%

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

$219 R$1,111

$204 MX$3,763

7.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,075 R$35.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

79.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$43.60 MX$806

27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.3 R$397

$43.12 MX$797

81.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R$476

$75.8 MX$1,400

24.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R$401

$88.6 MX$1,637

-10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 R$1,493

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-70.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 R$1,269

$374 MX$6,911

-33.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 R$2,535

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 R$2,401

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-57.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,507 R$7,638

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-61.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 R$3,538

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-88.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$601 R$3,045

$754 MX$13.9K

-20.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.45

-11.18%

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

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 10, 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

Maceio - Alagoas

$250 29.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 49.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Maceio - Alagoas

$195 23%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 32.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Maceio - Alagoas

$138 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 18.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maceio - Alagoas

$116 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 18.3% $21

Eating Out

Maceio - Alagoas

$109 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 85.5% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Maceio - Alagoas

$36 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 101% $37

Getting Around

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.6 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 832% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Maceio - Alagoas and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 26% 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: $30.00 in Maceio - Alagoas vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $258 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

2 h behind Maceio - Alagoas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,597

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maceio - Alagoas Playa del Carmen 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Maceio - Alagoas
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

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

Maceio - Alagoas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $295 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $851 per month in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $851 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Maceio - Alagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.