Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Campos do Jordão Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Campos do Jordão

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,421 in Campos do Jordão.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,279 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,201 in Campos do Jordão.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,292 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,980 in Campos do Jordão.

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 11% less than in Campos do Jordão, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 7% below, Campos do Jordão is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.60 MX$200

$7.99 R$41.10

45.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.11 MX$811

$31.34 R$161

50.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 MX$205

$6.63 R$34.07

79.19%

Cappuccino

$3.98 MX$68.5

$2.61 R$13.41

52.49%

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

$1.43 MX$24.57

$0.98 R$5.05

45.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$14.20

$0.81 R$4.16

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$54.9

$1.01 R$5.17

215.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 MX$117

$2.86 R$14.72

137.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$28.85

$1.05 R$5.40

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$37.83

$1.87 R$9.61

17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.41

$1.28 R$6.60

33.59%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$47.20

$2.47 R$12.70

10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 MX$165

$11.51 R$59.2

-16.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 MX$155

$4.68 R$24.07

92.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 MX$221

$9.70 R$49.90

32.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$49.74

$2.15 R$11.07

34.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$25.78

$1.22 R$6.27

22.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.98

$2.01 R$10.35

6.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.91

$1.79 R$9.19

26.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.10

$1.29 R$6.62

53.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.26

$1.31 R$6.72

51.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 MX$21.25

$1.13 R$5.83

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.60

$0.87 R$4.48

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 MX$78.3

$2.37 R$12.20

91.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$179

$7.93 R$40.77

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MX$27.88

$1.35 R$6.94

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$49.60

$1.88 R$9.65

53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.80 MX$496

$39.07 R$201

-26.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$92.8

$1.52 R$7.83

254.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.73 MX$64.2

$1.59 R$8.18

134.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MX$99.3

$5.90 R$30.31

-2.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$26.45

$1.25 R$6.42

23.20%

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

$22.5K MX$388.3K

$22.9K R$117.7K

-1.45%

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

$26.1K MX$448.7K

$31.9K R$164.2K

-18.42%

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

$91.4 MX$1,573

$78.5 R$403

16.47%

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

$25.20 MX$434

$9.82 R$50.5

156.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$538

$17.78 R$91.4

75.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 MX$1,157

$17.79 R$91.5

277.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.11 MX$501

$21.02 R$108

38.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MX$83.7

$8.48 R$43.62

-42.69%

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

$224 MX$3,851

$118 R$606

89.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,229 MX$72.8K

$9,923 R$51.0K

-57.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.10 MX$811

$39.29 R$202

19.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 MX$763

$36.32 R$187

21.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 MX$1,379

$92.5 R$475

-13.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 MX$1,596

$59.0 R$304

56.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 MX$18.3K

$594 R$3,055

78.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$6,719

$786 R$4,040

-50.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 MX$37.0K

$1,372 R$7,055

56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 MX$21.9K

$1,551 R$7,977

-18.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 MX$68.9K

$1,178 R$6,057

239.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,502 MX$112.0K

$1,373 R$7,061

373.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.1K

$292 R$1,501

159.70%

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: September 12, 2026

Last update for Campos do Jordão: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,063 in Playa del Carmen and $594 in Campos do Jordão. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 160% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $31.00 in Campos do Jordão for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $214 per month, with Campos do Jordão cheaper across the board.

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 Campos do Jordão: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Campos do Jordão differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $1,421 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 160% 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: $1,063 in Playa del Carmen versus $594 in Campos do Jordão. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Playa del Carmen versus $118 in Campos do Jordão. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Campos do Jordão pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,266 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,421 in Campos do Jordão, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Campos do Jordão. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,266 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Campos do Jordão. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.