Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $916 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $916 in Brasilia.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 31% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$8.44 R$45.11

29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$36.71 R$196

18.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.98 R$42.68

47.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.53 R$13.50

50.59%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.42 R$7.59

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.00 R$5.36

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.20 R$11.76

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.76 R$20.08

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.02 R$5.45

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.95 R$10.45

13.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.24 R$6.63

14.52%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.27 R$12.16

11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.17 R$59.7

-35.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.86 R$20.66

99.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.58 R$45.86

47.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.31 R$12.33

20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.38 R$7.37

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.26 R$6.72

102.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.52 R$8.13

39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.11 R$5.94

74.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.98 R$5.22

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.76 R$4.04

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.93 R$4.99

26.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.36 R$12.64

82.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.67 R$41.00

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.24 R$6.63

27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.36 R$12.59

13.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.73 R$3.90

-24.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$29.76 R$159

-10.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.01 R$5.42

392.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.86 R$4.59

287.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.77 R$30.86

-7.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.25 R$6.67

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$22.0K R$117.4K

-5.86%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$31.9K R$170.3K

-26.33%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$92.1 R$493

-7.96%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.85 R$63.3

97.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.93 R$112

36.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$30.47 R$163

87.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$26.29 R$141

9.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.46 R$39.91

-31.10%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$764 R$4,087

-72.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$15.7K R$84.1K

-75.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$52.6 R$281

-17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$42.10 R$225

-1.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$79.4 R$425

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$83.6 R$447

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$517 R$2,765

89.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$242 R$1,291

57.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,156 R$6,183

47.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$580 R$3,099

85.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,398 R$12.8K

64.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,678 R$8,972

266.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$784 R$4,194

-6.35%

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 Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 36.6% $139

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 21.3% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 25.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 3.8% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Brasilia

$45 5% 32.6% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 24.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $37 in Brasilia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $201 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brasilia 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Brasilia differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $916 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $517 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $37 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $916 in Brasilia – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $916 in Brasilia versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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.