Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cascavel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cascavel: $662 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cascavel
Learn more

Cascavel Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cascavel

🇧🇷 Brazil

$662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $662 in Cascavel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cascavel $662

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $986 in Cascavel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cascavel $986

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,310 in Cascavel, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cascavel $1,310

Playa del Carmen costs about 82% more than Cascavel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cascavel are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cascavel 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$8.61 R$46.83

26.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$22.26 R$121

94.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.68 R$36.32

76.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$1.46 R$7.92

160.96%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.03 R$5.58

24.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.49 R$2.65

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.09 R$5.95

190.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$1.99 R$10.82

147.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.01 R$5.47

39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.29 R$7.03

72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.59 R$8.65

-10.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.09 R$11.38

20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.52 R$51.8

-23.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.42 R$18.61

125.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.57 R$35.72

93.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.27 R$12.35

22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$0.85 R$4.64

61.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$0.55 R$2.99

363.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.11 R$6.02

70.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.73 R$3.96

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$1.86 R$10.13

131.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$12.53 R$68.1

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.67 R$9.09

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.29 R$12.45

16.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.91 R$4.92

-39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.15 R$6.25

25.22%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$25.0K R$136.2K

-17.48%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$31.3K R$170.1K

-24.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$52.9 R$288

60.25%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.67 R$52.6

142.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$22.11 R$120

29.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$17.43 R$94.8

227.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$5.53 R$30.09

-7.05%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$208 R$1,133

-0.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$19.14 R$104

126.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$37.90 R$206

9.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$69.5 R$378

6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$310 R$1,686

215.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$196 R$1,065

94.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$491 R$2,667

248.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$284 R$1,542

279.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,413 R$7,681

179.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$947 R$5,150

550.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$465 R$2,528

57.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Cascavel: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cascavel

$196 29.6% 48.6% $185

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cascavel

$171 * 25.8% 33% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cascavel

$122 18.4% 39.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cascavel

$85 12.8% 38.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cascavel

$57 * 8.6% 49% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cascavel

$29 4.3% 57.7% $39

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cascavel

$3.6 * 0.6% 92.8% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $310 in Cascavel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Cascavel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $171 – making Cascavel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Cascavel

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

348,051

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cascavel 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cascavel

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 Cascavel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $662 in Cascavel – Cascavel comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $993 in Cascavel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cascavel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $22 in Cascavel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cascavel, where all-in costs run around $662, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Cascavel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $662 in Cascavel to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cascavel. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.