Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
Learn more

Belem Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $877 in Belem.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,329 in Belem.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,781 in Belem.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Belem $1,781

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 37% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Belem 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.66 R$25.08

134.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$18.25 R$98.2

137.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.54 R$35.22

80.12%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.72 R$9.28

121.51%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.99 R$5.34

29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.44 R$2.35

77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.50 R$8.10

111.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.17 R$11.70

127.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.29 R$6.92

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.33 R$12.54

-4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.25 R$6.70

13.60%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.98 R$10.67

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.44 R$45.44

-13.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.12 R$22.16

86.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.25 R$39.00

75.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.24 R$12.05

24.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.32 R$7.12

3.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.39 R$7.48

83.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.56 R$8.37

35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.97 R$5.21

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.54 R$2.89

250.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.26 R$6.80

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.37 R$7.36

-13.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.45 R$13.19

75.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.32 R$50.2

6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.33 R$7.18

18.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.52 R$24.35

-40.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.90 R$4.85

-38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$31.93 R$172

-16.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.10 R$5.93

351.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.10 R$5.90

202.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.92 R$42.64

-32.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.15 R$6.21

25.22%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.8K R$117.5K

-5.32%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$30.0K R$161.6K

-21.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$93.5 R$503

-9.33%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$10.82 R$58.3

116.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$29.78 R$160

-3.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$20.33 R$109

180.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$36.96 R$199

-21.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.46 R$40.15

-31.10%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$104 R$561

98.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,250 R$17.5K

20.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$30.81 R$166

40.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$41.86 R$225

-1.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$75.6 R$407

-1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$61.4 R$330

45.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$503 R$2,709

94.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$267 R$1,436

42.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$837 R$4,506

103.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$485 R$2,611

121.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,865 R$10.0K

111.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,302 R$7,005

373.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$386 R$2,079

90.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.48

-0.26%

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 Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Belem

$267 30.4% 29.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Belem

$209 23.8% 18% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Belem

$95 10.9% 53% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Belem

$134 15.3% 2% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Belem

$94 10.8% 15.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Belem

$35 4% 47.6% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Belem

$42 4.8% 16.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $18 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $209 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Belem 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 90% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $503 in Belem. 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 17% less than in Belem. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Belem 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 – Belem 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.