Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Caxias do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Caxias do Sul: $757 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Caxias do Sul
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Caxias do Sul Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Caxias do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $757 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Caxias do Sul $757

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,283 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Caxias do Sul $1,283

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,809 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Caxias do Sul $1,809

Playa del Carmen costs about 59% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Caxias do Sul are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Caxias do Sul 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.38 R$34.35

71.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$35.67 R$192

21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.62 R$35.60

77.95%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.77 R$9.50

115.25%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.27 R$6.83

0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.98 R$5.25

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.11 R$11.34

50.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.85 R$15.32

72.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.82 R$4.42

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.54 R$8.28

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.03 R$5.56

37.86%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.79 R$9.64

40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.22 R$49.61

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.47 R$24.04

72.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$9.25 R$49.76

37.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.52 R$8.19

82.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.98 R$5.28

39.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.53 R$2.87

381.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.55 R$8.33

36.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.90 R$4.84

115.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.63 R$3.38

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.71 R$3.81

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.75 R$4.01

57.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.37 R$12.75

81.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$3.65 R$19.62

172.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.10 R$5.90

43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.01 R$10.80

32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.26 R$6.77

-56.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$41.13 R$221

-35.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.18 R$6.32

321.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.76 R$4.07

338.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.76 R$41.78

-30.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.16 R$6.25

24.14%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$22.1K R$118.9K

-6.47%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$31.6K R$169.8K

-25.63%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$66.9 R$360

26.84%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$11.54 R$62.1

102.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$20.14 R$108

42.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$24.73 R$133

130.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$56.9 R$306

-49.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.82 R$36.69

-24.63%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$373 R$2,008

-44.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$21.8K R$117.6K

-82.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$47.14 R$254

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$34.38 R$185

20.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$93.7 R$504

-20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$73.4 R$395

21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$256 R$1,378

282.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$171 R$919

122.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$640 R$3,446

166.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$409 R$2,203

162.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,633 R$8,789

141.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,138 R$6,126

440.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$517 R$2,784

41.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.5

-0.43%

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 Caxias do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Caxias do Sul

$171 22.6% 55.1% $210

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Caxias do Sul

$169 22.3% 33.9% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Caxias do Sul

$117 15.5% 42% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Caxias do Sul

$99 13% 28% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Caxias do Sul

$112 14.8% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Caxias do Sul

$38 5.1% 43% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Caxias do Sul

$51 6.8% 1.3% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $256 in Caxias do Sul. 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 42% 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 $36 in Caxias do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $169 – making Caxias do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Caxias do Sul

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

463,501

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Caxias do Sul 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $757 in Caxias do Sul – Caxias do Sul comes out roughly 37% 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 $1,135 in Caxias do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caxias do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $373 in Caxias do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Caxias do Sul, where all-in costs run around $757, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Caxias do Sul 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 $757 in Caxias do Sul to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Caxias do Sul. 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.