Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Abaetetuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Abaetetuba: $835 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Abaetetuba, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Abaetetuba
🇧🇷 Brazil
$835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Abaetetuba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Abaetetuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $835 in Abaetetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Abaetetuba $835

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,355 in Abaetetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Abaetetuba $1,355

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,876 in Abaetetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Abaetetuba $1,876

Playa del Carmen costs about 44% more than Abaetetuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Abaetetuba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Abaetetuba 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$6.27 R$34.07
74.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$805
$27.81 R$151
55.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$8.20 R$44.61
43.66%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$70.7
$1.72 R$9.33
121.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.81
$1.24 R$6.74
3.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.54
$0.69 R$3.75
13.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$58.8
$2.11 R$11.45
50.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.7
$2.89 R$15.71
70.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.12
$1.01 R$5.48
39.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.17
$1.80 R$9.77
23.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.32
$1.26 R$6.83
12.70%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$46.85
$2.16 R$11.72
16.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$9.81 R$53.3
-25.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$4.20 R$22.84
83.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$8.20 R$44.57
54.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.7
$2.32 R$12.64
19.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.41
$1.04 R$5.67
31.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.37
$1.24 R$6.73
105.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.43
$1.43 R$7.77
48.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.00
$1.26 R$6.85
53.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.02
$1.17 R$6.37
61.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.29
$0.81 R$4.41
41.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.89
$0.64 R$3.49
84.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$79.8
$2.35 R$12.78
82.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$6.78 R$36.87
46.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.41
$1.26 R$6.87
25.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.60
$2.07 R$11.23
28.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.28
$0.89 R$4.82
-38.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$494
$37.31 R$203
-28.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.3
$1.09 R$5.94
355.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$61.9
$0.74 R$4.02
350.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.5
$6.52 R$35.44
-17.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.82
$1.18 R$6.41
22.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$383.8K
$23.5K R$127.9K
-12.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$435.8K
$35.6K R$193.7K
-34.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,575
$64.9 R$353
30.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$435
$12.86 R$69.9
82.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$532
$21.71 R$118
32.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,059
$25.90 R$141
120.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$537
$26.37 R$143
9.63%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.4
$7.65 R$41.60
-32.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,836
$245 R$1,332
-15.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$72.9K
$6,640 R$36.1K
-40.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$805
$57.1 R$310
-24.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$770
$45.13 R$245
-8.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,378
$77.6 R$422
-4.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,657
$68.1 R$370
31.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
$384 R$2,085
155.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,072
$230 R$1,248
65.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.7K
$561 R$3,051
204.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$506 R$2,752
112.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.2K
$1,787 R$9,714
120.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.4K
$1,037 R$5,639
493.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Abaetetuba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11
4.09%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abaetetuba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Abaetetuba
$230 39.7% $151
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Abaetetuba
$188 26.3% $67
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Abaetetuba
$119 41% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Abaetetuba
$99 27.3% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Abaetetuba
$112 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Abaetetuba
$41 38.8% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Abaetetuba
$46 9.5% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $384 in Abaetetuba. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Abaetetuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $188 – making Abaetetuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Abaetetuba
🕒 Local time
01:05 1:05 AM
03:05 3:05 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
158,188
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Abaetetuba 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Abaetetuba

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
Playa del Carmen vs Abaetetuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abaetetuba cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,252 in Abaetetuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Abaetetuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 29% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $245 in Abaetetuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Abaetetuba?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Abaetetuba, where all-in costs run around $835, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Abaetetuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Abaetetuba?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $835 in Abaetetuba to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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