Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montes Claros and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $848 a month against $1,204 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 Montes Claros
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Montes Claros Living Index
58

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

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Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$848

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $848 in Montes Claros versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Montes Claros $848
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Montes Claros versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Montes Claros $1,358
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,869 in Montes Claros versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Montes Claros $1,869
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Montes Claros 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: Montes Claros 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 R$18.85

$10.92 MX$204

-67.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.55 R$169

$43.37 MX$808

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 R$40.77

$11.78 MX$220

-35.23%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R$10.89

$3.81 MX$71.0

-46.46%

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

$1.32 R$7.07

$1.28 MX$23.90

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.78 MX$14.59

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R$7.90

$3.17 MX$59.0

-53.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$16.15

$4.93 MX$92.0

-38.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.41 MX$26.22

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.75

$2.22 MX$41.33

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.42 MX$26.42

-14.08%

Eggs

$2.15 R$11.49

$2.52 MX$47.03

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$49.12

$7.26 MX$135

26.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 R$23.00

$7.70 MX$143

-44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.76 R$46.83

$12.69 MX$237

-30.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.10

$2.78 MX$51.9

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.08

$1.37 MX$25.50

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.03

$2.55 MX$47.55

-55.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.34

$2.12 MX$39.58

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.62

$1.94 MX$36.13

-36.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.89 MX$35.16

-41.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 R$4.26

$1.15 MX$21.37

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.40

$1.18 MX$21.98

-30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 R$13.36

$4.30 MX$80.1

-41.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 R$41.77

$9.95 MX$185

-21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$7.12

$1.58 MX$29.52

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R$11.33

$2.67 MX$49.79

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.25

$0.55 MX$10.31

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.22 R$236

$26.62 MX$496

66.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.76

$4.97 MX$92.6

-74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.57

$3.33 MX$62.1

-74.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 R$43.35

$5.36 MX$99.8

51.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.52

$1.44 MX$26.92

-28.47%

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

$23.2K R$124.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

12.46%

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

$33.2K R$177.3K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

41.31%

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

$77.3 R$413

$84.8 MX$1,581

-8.81%

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

$12.20 R$65.2

$23.41 MX$436

-47.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 R$105

$28.66 MX$534

-31.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.42 R$136

$57.1 MX$1,063

-55.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.14 R$145

$28.91 MX$539

-6.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$40.44

$5.14 MX$95.8

47.08%

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

$275 R$1,472

$207 MX$3,851

33.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,047 R$37.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

79.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 R$292

$43.35 MX$808

26.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 R$268

$41.44 MX$772

21.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 R$483

$74.2 MX$1,383

21.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 R$382

$89.3 MX$1,664

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,916

$980 MX$18.3K

-63.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 R$1,256

$381 MX$7,099

-38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 R$3,571

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-60.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 R$2,550

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-55.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 R$9,120

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-56.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$6,313

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-80.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 R$2,241

$735 MX$13.7K

-42.93%

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 Montes Claros: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montes Claros

$235 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Montes Claros

$193 22.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Montes Claros

$120 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.9% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montes Claros

$109 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.3% $28

Eating Out

Montes Claros

$97 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 108% $105

Getting Around

Montes Claros

$53 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 4.7% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Montes Claros

$41 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 66% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Montes Claros and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Montes Claros vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $255 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

2 h behind Montes Claros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,240

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montes Claros Playa del Carmen 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montes Claros
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $848 in Montes Claros and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Montes Claros is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Montes Claros. 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: $358 in Montes Claros versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 40% less than in Montes Claros. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $275 in Montes Claros versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $848 in Montes Claros versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Montes Claros but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Montes Claros 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.

It comes down to priorities – Montes Claros wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.