Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $802 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
Learn more

Barbacena Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $802 in Barbacena.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Barbacena $802

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,218 in Barbacena.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Barbacena $1,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,634 in Barbacena.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Barbacena $1,634

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 50% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Barbacena 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$4.99 R$27.23

113.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$19.83 R$108

120.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.48 R$29.93

115.15%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.62 R$8.86

133.95%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.42 R$7.77

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.88 R$4.78

-5.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.22 R$6.67

158.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.09 R$11.42

135.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.05 R$5.76

34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.92 R$10.50

14.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.14 R$6.24

28.95%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.15 R$11.75

16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.29 R$56.2

-29.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.02 R$21.97

97.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.31 R$50.8

38.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.63 R$14.39

10.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.71 R$9.36

-19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.49 R$8.11

67.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.73 R$9.47

17.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.14 R$6.20

77.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.96 R$5.22

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.69 R$3.79

65.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.65 R$3.57

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.70 R$14.77

58.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.40 R$40.40

32.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.14 R$6.24

39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.32 R$12.70

18.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.95 R$5.17

-46.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$41.13 R$225

-33.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.16 R$6.36

310.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.84 R$4.60

286.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.75 R$47.77

-38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.24 R$6.79

23.39%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.7K R$118.6K

-2.29%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.8K R$173.8K

-26.91%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$127 R$694

-34.35%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$10.06 R$54.9

130.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.32 R$116

29.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$24.54 R$134

129.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$25.69 R$140

9.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.63 R$41.68

-34.47%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$561 R$3,064

-63.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.3K R$67.0K

-57.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$38.49 R$210

12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$46.66 R$255

-8.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$70.2 R$383

3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$63.6 R$347

38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$215 R$1,175

362.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$158 R$863

141.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$397 R$2,166

322.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$284 R$1,553

279.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,575 R$8,598

148.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,147 R$6,265

435.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.93

-4.02%

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 Barbacena: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Barbacena

$158 19.7% 58.7% $224

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Barbacena

$201 25.1% 21.9% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Barbacena

$95 11.9% 52.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Barbacena

$159 19.8% 18.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Barbacena

$99 12.3% 11.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Barbacena

$40 5% 40.1% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Barbacena

$50 6.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $215 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $201 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

125,317

💱 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 Barbacena 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Barbacena

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 Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $802 in Barbacena, so Barbacena is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,202 in Barbacena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $215 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $802 in Barbacena – Barbacena is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 33% less than in Barbacena. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $802 in Barbacena versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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.