Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Castelo Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelo Branco: $1,100 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Castelo Branco
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Castelo Branco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Castelo Branco

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Castelo Branco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Castelo Branco $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,666 in Castelo Branco.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Castelo Branco $1,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,233 in Castelo Branco.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Castelo Branco $2,233

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 10% more expensive than in Castelo Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Castelo Branco 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$11.29 €10.05

-4.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$39.12 €34.80

9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.62 €8.56

22.56%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.25 €1.11

209.60%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.41 €1.25

-2.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.26 €1.12

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.09 €0.97

184.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.20 €1.96

130.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.17 €1.04

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.30 €1.16

71.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.45 €1.29

1.38%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.87 €3.44

-34.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.76 €7.79

-16.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.80 €5.16

35.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.58 €7.63

49.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.11 €1.88

37.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.75 €1.56

45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.30 €2.05

-10.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.65 €1.47

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.45 €1.29

38.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.14 €1.02

4.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.81 €0.72

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$5.97 €5.31

-26.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$3.39 €3.01

182.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.17 €1.04

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.95 €1.73

44.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.25 €1.11

-54.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$22.20 €19.75

25.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.25 €2.00

121.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.74 €0.66

372.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$16.67 €14.83

-67.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.04 €1.82

-27.94%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$33.5K €29.8K

-37.37%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$40.5K €36.0K

-40.94%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$120 €106

-29.62%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$19.03 €16.92

26.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$31.99 €28.45

-9.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$39.32 €34.97

60.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.70 €5.96

-26.27%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$678 €603

-69.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

-76.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$78.7 €70.0

-44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$44.71 €39.77

-3.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$82.1 €73.0

-7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$67.6 €60.2

30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$458 €407

120.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$363 €323

3.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$796 €708

114.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$605 €538

82.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,574 €1,400

150.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,322 €1,176

366.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,617 €1,438

-53.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.85

197.40%

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 Castelo Branco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Castelo Branco

$363 33% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Castelo Branco

$203 18.4% 21.6% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Castelo Branco

$155 14.1% 23.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Castelo Branco

$171 15.5% 24.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Castelo Branco

$123 11.2% 8.8% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Castelo Branco

$53 4.8% 27.7% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Castelo Branco

$33 3% 36.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelo Branco pays 114% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $39.00 in Castelo Branco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $203 per month, with Castelo Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇹 Castelo Branco

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

52,291

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Castelo Branco 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Castelo Branco

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 Castelo Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castelo Branco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Castelo Branco. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Castelo Branco runs roughly 25% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,100 in Castelo Branco versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Castelo Branco but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Castelo Branco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Castelo Branco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Castelo Branco are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Castelo Branco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.