Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Assis

For one person, living is cheaper in Assis: $815 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Assis
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Assis Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Assis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $815 in Assis.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Assis $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,321 in Assis.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Assis $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,826 in Assis.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Assis $1,826

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Assis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Assis 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$8.32 R$45.67

28.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$37.86 R$208

15.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$5.43 R$29.80

117.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.62 R$8.89

133.95%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.92 R$5.06

41.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.72 R$3.94

15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.10 R$6.02

186.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$1.83 R$10.02

169.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.89 R$4.90

58.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.32 R$7.24

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.22 R$6.68

20.49%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.43 R$7.86

74.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.14 R$39.17

2.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.15 R$22.77

91.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$8.24 R$45.20

56.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.26 R$12.42

28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.13 R$6.23

22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.15 R$6.29

116.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.80 R$9.89

12.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.31 R$7.20

54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.97 R$5.30

95.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.88 R$4.82

29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.94 R$5.14

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.20 R$12.05

94.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$5.86 R$32.19

67.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.13 R$6.21

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.87 R$10.25

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.95 R$5.19

-46.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$42.30 R$232

-35.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.28 R$7.04

271.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.32 R$7.22

146.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.61 R$41.77

-29.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.15 R$6.34

33.04%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$22.3K R$122.4K

-4.87%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$30.5K R$167.7K

-23.85%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$77.8 R$427

7.29%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$11.13 R$61.1

108.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$17.79 R$97.6

55.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$24.48 R$134

130.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$26.32 R$144

7.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.41 R$35.20

-22.00%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$198 R$1,085

4.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,340 R$40.3K

-28.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$46.80 R$257

-7.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$37.82 R$208

12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$79.9 R$439

-8.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$50.7 R$278

74.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$330 R$1,810

201.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$229 R$1,258

66.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$623 R$3,420

168.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$453 R$2,488

138.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,599 R$8,774

144.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,128 R$6,192

444.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$567 R$3,111

46.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.38

-7.51%

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 Assis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Assis

$229 28.1% 40% $153

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Assis

$173 21.2% 32.8% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Assis

$118 14.5% 41.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Assis

$107 13.1% 20.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Assis

$97 11.9% 12.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Assis

$37 4.6% 43.8% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Assis

$54 6.6% 6.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $330 in Assis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 47% 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: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $38 in Assis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $173 per month, with Assis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Assis

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

101,409

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Assis 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
Assis

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 Assis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assis is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 47% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $330 in Assis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 35% less than in Assis. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $198 in Assis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Assis versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Assis but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Assis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Assis 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.