Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cariacica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cariacica: $880 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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cariacica
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Cariacica Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cariacica

🇧🇷 Brazil

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $880 in Cariacica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cariacica $880

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,401 in Cariacica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Cariacica $1,401

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,922 in Cariacica, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Cariacica $1,922

Playa del Carmen costs about 37% more than Cariacica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cariacica are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cariacica 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.06 R$30.70

79.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$31.76 R$161

39.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.91 R$40.08

48.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.10 R$10.63

75.24%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.29 R$6.56

3.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.82 R$4.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.99 R$10.08

53.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.98 R$15.13

65.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.05 R$5.34

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.68 R$8.51

32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.24 R$6.26

19.35%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.15 R$10.90

15.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.55 R$48.42

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.17 R$21.12

90.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.46 R$42.91

48.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.17 R$11.02

28.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.28 R$6.49

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.18 R$6.01

122.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.51 R$7.67

41.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.25 R$6.34

61.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.13 R$5.70

76.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.79 R$3.99

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.77 R$3.93

55.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.47 R$12.51

72.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.00 R$40.53

25.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.33 R$6.72

15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.13 R$10.81

24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.01 R$5.11

-47.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$43.96 R$223

-37.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.33 R$6.72

268.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.89 R$4.53

285.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$8.00 R$40.56

-32.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.27 R$6.45

14.17%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.0K R$121.5K

-11.73%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$33.2K R$168.3K

-30.65%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$74.3 R$377

14.85%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$12.57 R$63.7

86.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$20.82 R$106

36.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.76 R$131

141.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$27.67 R$140

3.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.24 R$36.69

-29.56%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$277 R$1,402

-27.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,134 R$36.2K

-44.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$55.3 R$280

-19.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$50.2 R$254

-17.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$89.1 R$451

-18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$73.7 R$374

21.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$361 R$1,831

171.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$244 R$1,236

52.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$675 R$3,423

148.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$477 R$2,416

129.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,741 R$8,828

126.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,183 R$5,996

418.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cariacica: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Cariacica

$244 27.7% 34.6% $129

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Cariacica

$192 21.8% 25.7% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Cariacica

$122 13.8% 39.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cariacica

$108 12.2% 21.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cariacica

$121 13.7% 8.1% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Cariacica

$40 4.6% 44.4% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Cariacica

$54 6.1% 4.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $361 in Cariacica. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $32.00 in Cariacica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $192 – making Cariacica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Cariacica

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

353,491

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cariacica 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cariacica

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 Cariacica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,320 in Cariacica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cariacica, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $32.00 in Cariacica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $880 in Cariacica. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cariacica, where all-in costs run around $880, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cariacica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cariacica – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cariacica. 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.