Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paulo Afonso and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $797 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Paulo Afonso
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Paulo Afonso Living Index
58

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

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Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$797

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $797 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $797
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,293 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,293
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,790
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Paulo Afonso is about 34% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Paulo Afonso and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Paulo Afonso 41% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 R$31.17

$10.92 MX$203

-47.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.27 R$175

$43.37 MX$805

-25.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$37.06

$11.78 MX$219

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$1.62 R$8.83

$3.81 MX$70.7

-57.48%

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

$1.34 R$7.28

$1.28 MX$23.81

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.68

$0.78 MX$14.54

-12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 R$11.50

$3.17 MX$58.8

-33.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R$16.16

$4.93 MX$91.7

-39.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.38

$1.41 MX$26.12

-29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 R$9.13

$2.22 MX$41.17

-24.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.60

$1.42 MX$26.32

-27.46%

Eggs

$2.31 R$12.57

$2.52 MX$46.85

-8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.77 R$42.25

$7.26 MX$135

7.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 R$20.37

$7.70 MX$143

-51.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R$39.12

$12.69 MX$236

-43.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.81

$2.78 MX$51.7

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.61

$1.37 MX$25.41

-10.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.27

$2.55 MX$47.37

-54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.43

$2.12 MX$39.43

-26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.06

$1.94 MX$36.00

-32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.28

$1.89 MX$35.02

-48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.93

$1.15 MX$21.29

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.38

$1.18 MX$21.89

-31.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 R$11.89

$4.30 MX$79.8

-49.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$45.64

$9.95 MX$185

-15.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.75

$1.58 MX$29.41

-32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R$10.27

$2.67 MX$49.60

-29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 R$4.82

$0.55 MX$10.28

61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.66 R$216

$26.62 MX$494

48.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R$6.01

$4.97 MX$92.3

-77.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.71

$3.33 MX$61.9

-73.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$39.36

$5.36 MX$99.5

35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 R$5.98

$1.44 MX$26.82

-23.61%

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

$23.1K R$125.7K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

11.85%

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

$33.7K R$183.4K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

43.73%

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

$79.7 R$433

$84.8 MX$1,575

-6.01%

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

$13.01 R$70.7

$23.41 MX$435

-44.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.06 R$104

$28.66 MX$532

-33.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.97 R$147

$57.1 MX$1,059

-52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.73 R$134

$28.91 MX$537

-14.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 R$34.24

$5.14 MX$95.4

22.57%

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

$224 R$1,216

$207 MX$3,836

8.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,476 R$40.6K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

90.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.97 R$255

$43.35 MX$805

8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.35 R$257

$41.44 MX$770

14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 R$386

$74.2 MX$1,378

-4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.8 R$331

$89.3 MX$1,657

-31.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R$2,049

$980 MX$18.2K

-61.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 R$1,124

$381 MX$7,072

-45.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$682 R$3,710

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-60.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R$2,435

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-58.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,537 R$8,356

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-61.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$997 R$5,419

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-83.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

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 Paulo Afonso: October 27, 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

Paulo Afonso

$207 25.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 84.1% $174

Groceries & Markets

Paulo Afonso

$178 22.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 42.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paulo Afonso

$112 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 22.4% $25

Eating Out

Paulo Afonso

$110 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 83.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Paulo Afonso

$102 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.8% $10

Getting Around

Paulo Afonso

$49 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 3.7% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Paulo Afonso

$40 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 70.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Paulo Afonso versus $980 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 $32 in Paulo Afonso versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $255 – making Paulo Afonso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

2 h behind Paulo Afonso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,870

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Paulo Afonso Playa del Carmen 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Paulo Afonso
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 51% more than Paulo Afonso, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,196 per month in Paulo Afonso and $1,806 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 Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $797 in Paulo Afonso and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Paulo Afonso about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $797 in Paulo Afonso to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.