Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $956 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Passos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Passos $956
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,537 in Passos versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Passos $1,537
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,119 in Passos versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Passos $2,119
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Passos costs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Passos 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.86 MX$201

-7.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.57 R$180

$44.21 MX$817

-19.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 R$44.91

$11.76 MX$217

-24.66%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R$11.54

$3.68 MX$68.0

-38.04%

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

$1.34 R$6.80

$1.34 MX$24.79

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.82 MX$15.24

15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.06 MX$56.6

-20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 R$20.51

$4.94 MX$91.2

-18.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.40

$1.47 MX$27.17

-27.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.40

$2.22 MX$40.95

-7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.48 MX$27.32

-7.43%

Eggs

$2.61 R$13.22

$2.49 MX$45.99

4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 R$54.4

$7.52 MX$139

42.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$25.18

$7.96 MX$147

-37.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 R$54.5

$12.57 MX$232

-14.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$11.87

$2.78 MX$51.3

-15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.42

$1.43 MX$26.37

16.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.62 MX$48.37

-41.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$2.14 MX$39.49

-35.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$2.02 MX$37.38

-35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.99 MX$36.74

-37.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R$5.01

$1.14 MX$21.01

-13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$1.20 MX$22.18

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.34

$4.26 MX$78.7

-42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$10.02 MX$185

-19.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.89

$1.54 MX$28.41

1.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.74

$2.66 MX$49.17

-5.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.05

$0.53 MX$9.73

88.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.39 R$220

$27.51 MX$508

57.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.93

$4.90 MX$90.6

-76.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.66

$3.43 MX$63.5

-79.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R$42.46

$5.38 MX$99.4

55.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.45 MX$26.76

-11.72%

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

$24.0K R$121.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

13.38%

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

$32.0K R$162.0K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

38.87%

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

$67.4 R$342

$85.4 MX$1,577

-21.01%

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

$15.00 R$76.1

$23.46 MX$434

-36.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.66 R$115

$28.43 MX$525

-20.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.76 R$131

$62.2 MX$1,149

-58.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 R$139

$28.68 MX$530

-4.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 R$41.40

$5.10 MX$94.3

60.20%

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

$443 R$2,246

$201 MX$3,715

120.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K R$54.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

174.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 R$326

$44.39 MX$820

44.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 R$289

$41.35 MX$764

37.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 R$449

$72.7 MX$1,344

21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 R$402

$89.6 MX$1,656

-11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,797

$979 MX$18.1K

-63.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,225

$373 MX$6,887

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 R$3,485

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-59.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 R$2,410

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-56.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,693 R$8,582

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-57.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$5,984

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-80.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 R$2,122

$738 MX$13.6K

-43.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

11.45

-5.59%

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

Last update for Passos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Passos

$242 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 54.2% $131

Groceries & Markets

Passos

$221 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 17.2% $38

Eating Out

Passos

$164 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 22.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Passos

$130 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passos

$105 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 30.6% $32

Getting Around

Passos

$52 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 0.9% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Passos

$42 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 72% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Passos and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 76% 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: $36.00 in Passos vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $258 per month, with Passos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Passos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

22:39 10:39 PM

2 h behind Passos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,939

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 22, 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 22, 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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Between locations

Passos Playa del Carmen 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Passos
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

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

Passos and Playa del Carmen differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $1,204 including rent). Passos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% 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: $354 in Passos versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Passos – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $956 in Passos versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passos but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Passos 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.

Expats usually find Passos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.