Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alfenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $731 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
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Alfenas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Alfenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $731 in Alfenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Alfenas $731

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,297 in Alfenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Alfenas $1,297

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,862 in Alfenas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Alfenas $1,862

Playa del Carmen costs about 64% more than Alfenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.59 R$19.61

197.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$27.35 R$149

60.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.43 R$29.64

117.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$0.89 R$4.84

325.84%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.57 R$3.12

128.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.54 R$2.93

53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.17 R$11.83

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.73 R$14.92

80.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.15 R$6.29

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.66 R$9.06

32.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.40 R$7.63

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.53 R$13.81

-1.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.22 R$61.3

-35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.97 R$27.16

59.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.00 R$54.6

28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.49 R$13.59

16.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.62 R$8.85

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.38 R$7.51

80.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.74 R$9.52

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.31 R$7.15

54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.19 R$6.50

59.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.15 R$6.26

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.92 R$5.02

34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.82 R$9.94

134.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$9.29 R$50.8

5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.67 R$9.12

-4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.36 R$12.89

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.10 R$6.00

-53.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$47.17 R$258

-41.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.26 R$6.88

277.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.94 R$5.15

245.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$10.02 R$54.7

-46.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.24 R$6.80

23.39%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.6K R$118.2K

-2.02%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$27.5K R$150.0K

-15.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$55.7 R$304

50.03%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.69 R$85.7

47.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$18.60 R$102

48.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$25.24 R$138

123.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$22.35 R$122

26.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.58 R$35.93

-24.01%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$572 R$3,125

-63.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,674 R$36.4K

-21.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$58.7 R$320

-25.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$56.1 R$306

-24.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$93.2 R$509

-21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$86.8 R$474

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$337 R$1,842

194.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$114 R$622

235.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$654 R$3,573

155.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$451 R$2,463

139.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,784 R$9,744

119.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,165 R$6,360

427.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$458 R$2,499

81.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.5

-0.43%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alfenas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Alfenas

$114 15.6% 70.2% $268

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Alfenas

$222 30.4% 13.6% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Alfenas

$76 10.5% 61.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Alfenas

$90 12.3% 33% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Alfenas

$133 18.1% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Alfenas

$38 5.3% 42.2% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Alfenas

$58 7.9% 14.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Alfenas. 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 82% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Alfenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $222 – making Alfenas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

78,970

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alfenas 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alfenas

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 Alfenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $731 in Alfenas – Alfenas comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,097 in Alfenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alfenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $27 in Alfenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Alfenas, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Alfenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $731 in Alfenas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. 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.