Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $620 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
Learn more

Caruaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $620 in Caruaru.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Caruaru $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,011 in Caruaru.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Caruaru $1,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,402 in Caruaru.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Caruaru $1,402

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 94% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Caruaru 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.43 R$29.53

101.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$27.44 R$149

58.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.33 R$39.82

60.71%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$1.48 R$8.03

157.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.98 R$5.33

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.61 R$3.30

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.62 R$8.80

95.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.21 R$12.00

123.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.12 R$6.09

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.04 R$5.64

113.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.31 R$7.14

8.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.92 R$10.42

31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$4.28 R$23.29

69.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.64 R$25.20

65.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.05 R$38.31

80.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.32 R$7.17

110.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$0.90 R$4.87

52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$0.79 R$4.29

222.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.09 R$5.92

94.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.46 R$7.96

32.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.19 R$6.44

58.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.69 R$3.75

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.82 R$4.46

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.85 R$15.52

50.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.46 R$40.58

33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.43 R$7.76

10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.28 R$12.39

17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.87 R$4.73

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$24.84 R$135

7.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.09 R$5.94

355.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$1.82 R$9.90

82.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$2.86 R$15.54

87.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.21 R$6.56

19.01%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$22.2K R$120.7K

-6.92%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$30.5K R$166.0K

-23.13%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$52.3 R$284

62.28%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$7.53 R$40.96

210.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$9.28 R$50.5

208.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$14.11 R$76.7

304.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$27.73 R$151

4.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$6.73 R$36.61

-23.63%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$101 R$549

104.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$6,392 R$34.8K

-38.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$37.20 R$202

16.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$45.77 R$249

-9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$81.6 R$444

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$60.7 R$330

47.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$155 R$841

533.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$123 R$670

208.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$334 R$1,815

411.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$241 R$1,310

346.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$248 R$1,350

195.88%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Caruaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Caruaru

$123 19.9% 67.6% $258

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Caruaru

$158 25.5% 37.9% $97

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Caruaru

$102 16.5% 49.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Caruaru

$69 11.1% 49.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Caruaru

$101 16.3% 9.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Caruaru

$28 4.5% 59% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Caruaru

$39 6.2% 23.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $155 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $27 in Caruaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $158 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

377,911

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Caruaru 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $620 in Caruaru, so Caruaru is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3 times higher, 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 $155 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $101 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $620 in Caruaru versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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.

Expats usually find Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.