Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petrolina and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
Learn more

Petrolina Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $736 per month in Petrolina vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Petrolina $736
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,155 per month in Petrolina vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Petrolina $1,155
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,574 per month in Petrolina vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Petrolina $1,574
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Petrolina is about 39% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petrolina and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Petrolina 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.42 R$29.59

$10.67 MX$199

-49.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.35 R$160

$43.80 MX$815

-32.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 R$39.87

$11.79 MX$219

-38.08%

Cappuccino

$1.86 R$10.15

$3.79 MX$70.5

-50.92%

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

$1.23 R$6.72

$1.30 MX$24.14

-5.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.83

$0.83 MX$15.51

-15.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 R$9.89

$3.15 MX$58.6

-42.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 R$15.57

$4.93 MX$91.8

-42.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.68

$1.41 MX$26.22

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 R$4.64

$2.20 MX$40.86

-61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.03

$1.47 MX$27.40

-24.49%

Eggs

$1.54 R$8.43

$2.50 MX$46.46

-38.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 R$46.94

$7.29 MX$136

17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 R$19.01

$7.95 MX$148

-56.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R$40.69

$12.86 MX$239

-42.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.33

$2.90 MX$53.9

-22.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 R$4.59

$1.38 MX$25.74

-39.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.87

$2.49 MX$46.35

-57.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.88

$2.03 MX$37.77

-29.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.13

$2.02 MX$37.68

-44.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 R$3.97

$1.90 MX$35.42

-61.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.92

$1.14 MX$21.30

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.44

$1.24 MX$23.05

-63.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.75

$4.27 MX$79.5

-45.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 R$35.38

$9.81 MX$183

-33.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.59 MX$29.51

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R$10.63

$2.75 MX$51.1

-29.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.46

$0.51 MX$9.58

96.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.15 R$230

$27.39 MX$510

53.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.73

$4.76 MX$88.6

-74.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.70

$3.25 MX$60.5

-73.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 R$40.55

$5.39 MX$100

37.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.74

$1.53 MX$28.44

-19.61%

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

$19.5K R$106.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

-8.04%

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

$24.6K R$134.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

5.67%

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

$62.7 R$342

$83.5 MX$1,554

-24.96%

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

$8.18 R$44.63

$23.19 MX$431

-64.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.37 R$62.1

$27.61 MX$514

-58.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.51 R$95.6

$56.4 MX$1,050

-68.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.72 R$140

$28.19 MX$525

-8.76%

Cinema Ticket

$3.76 R$20.53

$5.00 MX$93.1

-24.80%

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

$226 R$1,235

$207 MX$3,854

9.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,623 R$36.2K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

26.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 R$101

$43.45 MX$809

-57.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 R$254

$42.54 MX$792

9.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 R$278

$72.8 MX$1,354

-30.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 R$427

$88.4 MX$1,645

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 R$1,398

$995 MX$18.5K

-74.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 R$1,206

$382 MX$7,116

-42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 R$3,033

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 R$2,071

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-64.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,587 R$8,667

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-59.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 R$6,217

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-81.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$558 R$3,045

$832 MX$15.5K

-32.98%

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 Petrolina: November 1, 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

Petrolina

$221 30%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 73% $161

Groceries & Markets

Petrolina

$159 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 61.9% $98

Eating Out

Petrolina

$110 15%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 82% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Petrolina

$87 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 27.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petrolina

$82 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 63.4% $52

Getting Around

Petrolina

$52 7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.4% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Petrolina

$25 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 165% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Petrolina 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.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Petrolina versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $159 vs $257 – making Petrolina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h behind Petrolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,791

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petrolina Playa del Carmen 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Petrolina
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 63% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,104 per month in Petrolina 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 Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Petrolina and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $736 in Petrolina to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Petrolina. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.