Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cachoeira do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cachoeira do Sul: $855 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Cachoeira do Sul
🇧🇷 Brazil
$855
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cachoeira do Sul

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 Cachoeira do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $855 in Cachoeira do Sul, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Cachoeira do Sul $855

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,338 in Cachoeira do Sul, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Cachoeira do Sul $1,338

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,822 in Cachoeira do Sul, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Cachoeira do Sul $1,822

Playa del Carmen costs about 42% more than Cachoeira do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cachoeira do Sul are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Cachoeira do Sul 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$5.10 R$25.72
110.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$794
$20.07 R$101
114.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$6.98 R$35.22
68.91%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$2.49 R$12.58
55.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.26
$1.38 R$6.96
-0.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.43
$1.05 R$5.30
-20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.2
$2.35 R$11.84
31.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.5
$3.07 R$15.50
65.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.52
$0.92 R$4.65
56.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.19
$0.69 R$3.49
223.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.14
$0.99 R$4.99
48.48%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.66
$1.82 R$9.19
39.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$7.61 R$38.41
-4.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$4.89 R$24.70
60.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$7.97 R$40.24
60.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.5
$2.47 R$12.46
17.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.50
$0.80 R$4.02
80.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.02
$0.52 R$2.65
390.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.99
$0.89 R$4.47
131.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$1.03 R$5.19
94.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.03
$1.14 R$5.74
76.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$21.99
$0.94 R$4.74
26.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.20
$0.34 R$1.73
270.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.3
$1.62 R$8.15
171.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$5.88 R$29.69
63.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.38
$1.01 R$5.12
57.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$1.68 R$8.48
67.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.46
$1.20 R$6.08
-52.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$45.00 R$227
-38.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.0
$1.33 R$6.72
274.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.81 R$4.09
332.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.7
$8.14 R$41.09
-33.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.05
$0.99 R$4.97
48.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.4K
$23.4K R$118.2K
-10.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.3K
$34.5K R$173.9K
-30.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,554
$77.0 R$389
9.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$12.40 R$62.6
93.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$21.56 R$109
34.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,163
$26.42 R$133
138.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$538
$28.21 R$142
3.30%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.2
$7.18 R$36.26
-31.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,759
$555 R$2,803
-63.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$7,293 R$36.8K
-45.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$805
$51.0 R$257
-14.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$796
$58.3 R$294
-26.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,399
$104 R$527
-27.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,635
$80.0 R$404
10.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$361 R$1,822
179.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,904
$241 R$1,217
55.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.5K
$676 R$3,414
152.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$487 R$2,456
127.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.8K
$1,619 R$8,169
143.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$113.9K
$1,128 R$5,694
446.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cachoeira do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11.5
-0.43%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cachoeira do Sul: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Cachoeira do Sul
$241 35.5% $133
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Cachoeira do Sul
$156 39.8% $103
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Cachoeira do Sul
$119 41.1% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Cachoeira do Sul
$111 19.1% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Cachoeira do Sul
$132 16.9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Cachoeira do Sul
$41 44% $32
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Cachoeira do Sul
$55 5% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $361 in Cachoeira do Sul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $20.00 in Cachoeira do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $156 – making Cachoeira do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Cachoeira do Sul
🕒 Local time
08:54 8:54 AM
10:54 10:54 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
80,070
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Cachoeira do Sul 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Cachoeira do Sul

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 Cachoeira do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cachoeira do Sul cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,283 in Cachoeira do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cachoeira do Sul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Cachoeira do Sul?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $855 in Cachoeira do Sul. That's a gap of about 42%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 62% less in Cachoeira do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Cachoeira do Sul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cachoeira do Sul, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Cachoeira do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Cachoeira do Sul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cachoeira do Sul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cachoeira do Sul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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