Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Anapolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Anapolis: $655 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Anapolis, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Anapolis
🇧🇷 Brazil
$655
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $655 in Anapolis.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Anapolis $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,092 in Anapolis.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Anapolis $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Anapolis.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Anapolis $1,529

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 84% more expensive than in Anapolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Anapolis 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$5.46 R$29.67
100.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$36.97 R$201
17.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$8.09 R$43.99
45.61%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.43 R$13.19
56.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.08 R$5.85
18.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.77 R$4.16
1.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$1.83 R$9.98
73.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$3.25 R$17.65
51.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.03 R$5.59
36.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$1.81 R$9.86
22.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.29 R$7.00
10.08%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$1.97 R$10.72
27.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$8.55 R$46.49
-15.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$3.66 R$19.90
110.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$6.96 R$37.86
82.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$1.94 R$10.54
43.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$1.00 R$5.44
37.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$1.13 R$6.15
125.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$1.05 R$5.68
101.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.16 R$6.32
67.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$0.92 R$4.98
105.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$0.64 R$3.48
79.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.90 R$4.89
31.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$1.91 R$10.38
125.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$5.49 R$29.83
81.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.18 R$6.44
33.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.35 R$12.78
13.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$0.98 R$5.34
407.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$0.86 R$4.69
287.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$6.00 R$32.60
-10.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.19 R$6.46
21.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$22.1K R$120.1K
-6.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$31.6K R$171.7K
-25.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$56.9 R$309
49.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$9.17 R$49.85
155.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$18.77 R$102
52.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$22.26 R$121
156.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$5.48 R$29.78
-6.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$764 R$4,156
-72.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$15.6K R$84.7K
-74.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$52.6 R$286
-17.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$36.96 R$201
12.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$80.4 R$437
-7.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$36.78 R$200
142.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$224 R$1,218
337.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$147 R$797
159.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$508 R$2,762
236.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$336 R$1,826
220.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$1,208 R$6,566
226.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$899 R$4,888
584.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Anapolis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$506 R$2,753
45.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.12
-5.53%

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 Anapolis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Anapolis
$147 61.5% $234
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Anapolis
$172 32.5% $83
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Anapolis
$120 40.7% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Anapolis
$85 38% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Anapolis
$93 16.7% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Anapolis
$33 50.7% $34
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Anapolis
$5.3 * 89.5% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $224 in Anapolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 45% 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $37 in Anapolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $172 per month, with Anapolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Anapolis
🕒 Local time
07:28 7:28 AM
09:28 9:28 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
398,869
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Anapolis 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Anapolis

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 Anapolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Anapolis?
Anapolis wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Anapolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Anapolis?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Anapolis?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $224 in Anapolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Anapolis?
Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Anapolis?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $655 in Anapolis – Anapolis is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Playa del Carmen or in Anapolis?
At $655 in Anapolis versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Anapolis but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Anapolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Anapolis?
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.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Anapolis?
It comes down to priorities – Anapolis wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?