Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Atibaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Atibaia: $812 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Atibaia
Learn more

Atibaia Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Atibaia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $812 in Atibaia.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Atibaia $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,451 in Atibaia.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Atibaia $1,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,090 in Atibaia.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Atibaia $2,090

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$8.02 R$40.64

35.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.96 R$162

38.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.04 R$35.67

67.05%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.32 R$11.77

58.62%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.40 R$7.11

-4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.95 R$4.82

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.95 R$9.91

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.01 R$15.28

64.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.09 R$5.51

34.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.84 R$9.35

20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.33 R$6.76

11.28%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.49 R$12.63

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.82 R$54.9

-30.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.85 R$24.60

64.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.73 R$49.33

29.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.15 R$10.90

29.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.22 R$6.21

17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.22 R$6.17

114.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.63 R$8.29

31.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.20 R$6.10

68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.33 R$6.73

49.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.97 R$4.94

17.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.76 R$3.83

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.34 R$11.88

82.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.63 R$38.66

31.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.38 R$6.99

11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.88 R$9.56

41.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.97 R$4.93

-45.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.57 R$7.94

212.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.61 R$8.19

113.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$17.61 R$89.3

-69.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.25 R$6.33

16.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.3K R$103.1K

4.03%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$31.3K R$158.7K

-26.48%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$77.8 R$395

9.69%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$12.25 R$62.1

91.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$21.94 R$111

29.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$24.22 R$123

156.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$19.88 R$101

44.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$8.60 R$43.61

-40.70%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$275 R$1,395

-26.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$10.0K R$50.8K

-60.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$53.8 R$273

-17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$37.65 R$191

9.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$75.0 R$380

-2.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$60.1 R$305

49.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$301 R$1,527

225.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$198 R$1,006

87.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,008 R$5,112

66.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$693 R$3,511

58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,987 R$10.1K

98.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,687 R$8,550

263.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$503 R$2,552

46.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.79

-10.48%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Atibaia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Atibaia

$198 24.4% 46.8% $174

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Atibaia

$207 25.5% 20% $52

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Atibaia

$138 17% 30.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Atibaia

$112 13.8% 18.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Atibaia

$102 12.6% 8.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Atibaia

$41 5.1% 42.8% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Atibaia

$14 * 1.7% 73.8% $38

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 $979 in Playa del Carmen and $301 in Atibaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 46% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $32.00 in Atibaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $207 per month, with Atibaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Atibaia

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

158,647

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Atibaia 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Atibaia

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 Atibaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Atibaia differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $812 including rent). Atibaia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $301 in Atibaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $275 in Atibaia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Atibaia – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $812 in Atibaia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atibaia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Atibaia 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.

Expats usually find Atibaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.