Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Palmas vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palmas $830
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,281 per month in Palmas vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palmas $1,281
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,733 per month in Palmas vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Palmas $1,733
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Palmas is about 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palmas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Palmas 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.01

$10.67 MX$201

-64.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.86 R$120

$43.80 MX$824

-50.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R$40.65

$11.79 MX$222

-37.15%

Cappuccino

$1.73 R$9.48

$3.79 MX$71.2

-54.35%

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

$1.63 R$8.96

$1.30 MX$24.41

25.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$0.83 MX$15.69

-2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.99

$3.15 MX$59.2

-53.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.91

$4.93 MX$92.9

-44.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.60

$1.41 MX$26.51

-27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R$7.36

$2.20 MX$41.32

-39.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 R$15.15

$1.47 MX$27.71

87.76%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.24

$2.50 MX$46.99

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 R$36.36

$7.29 MX$137

-9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$7.95 MX$150

-62.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$31.58

$12.86 MX$242

-55.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.97

$2.90 MX$54.5

-24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.57

$1.38 MX$26.03

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$2.49 MX$46.88

-54.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.93

$2.03 MX$38.20

-46.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.51

$2.02 MX$38.11

-41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.90 MX$35.82

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.13

$1.14 MX$21.54

-34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.90

$1.24 MX$23.32

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$11.30

$4.27 MX$80.4

-51.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 R$35.25

$9.81 MX$185

-34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.59 MX$29.85

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$11.02

$2.75 MX$51.7

-26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 R$4.09

$0.51 MX$9.69

45.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 R$229

$27.39 MX$515

52.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$7.14

$4.76 MX$89.6

-72.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.83

$3.25 MX$61.1

-78.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 R$34.35

$5.39 MX$101

16.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$6.08

$1.53 MX$28.76

-27.45%

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

$19.7K R$108.0K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

-7.24%

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

$30.8K R$169.3K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

32.60%

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

$106 R$581

$83.5 MX$1,571

26.76%

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

$10.92 R$59.9

$23.19 MX$436

-52.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 R$102

$27.61 MX$520

-33.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.99 R$121

$56.4 MX$1,062

-61.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$28.19 MX$531

-7.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$33.62

$5.00 MX$94.1

22.60%

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

$142 R$779

$207 MX$3,897

-31.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,428 R$35.3K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.94 R$186

$43.45 MX$818

-21.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.29 R$271

$42.54 MX$801

15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 R$582

$72.8 MX$1,369

45.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$367

$88.4 MX$1,663

-24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 R$1,696

$995 MX$18.7K

-68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,276

$382 MX$7,197

-39.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,354

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 R$2,532

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-57.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 R$8,869

$3,909 MX$73.6K

-58.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 R$6,257

$6,138 MX$115.5K

-81.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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 Palmas: November 2, 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

Palmas

$233 28%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 64.4% $150

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$167 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 54.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$135 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 0.7% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$115 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 3.5% $4.1

Eating Out

Palmas

$96 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 109% $104

Getting Around

Palmas

$49 6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$34 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 94% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Palmas versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Palmas versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $257 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palmas Playa del Carmen 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $830 in Palmas, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Palmas comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,244 per month in Palmas and $1,804 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 Palmas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Palmas and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $830 in Palmas and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Palmas about 31% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palmas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.