Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cerquilho

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $758 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $758 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cerquilho $758

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,232 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cerquilho $1,232

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,706 in Cerquilho, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cerquilho $1,706

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

Both Playa del Carmen and Cerquilho are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cerquilho 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$6.42 R$35.22

66.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$30.11 R$165

45.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.54 R$41.39

56.37%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.87 R$10.28

102.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.48 R$8.12

-12.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.12 R$6.17

-25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.11 R$6.07

183.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.74 R$15.05

79.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.16 R$6.39

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.45 R$7.98

51.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.11 R$6.12

32.43%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$2.56 R$14.06

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.44 R$46.33

-13.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$1.89 R$10.40

320.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.73 R$31.46

124.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.89 R$10.39

53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.68 R$9.24

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.13 R$6.21

120.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.76 R$9.67

15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.29 R$7.07

56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.54 R$2.98

251.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.84 R$4.58

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.58 R$3.18

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.28 R$7.05

233.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.50 R$46.66

15.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.09 R$5.99

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.76 R$15.15

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.94 R$5.17

-45.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$42.23 R$232

-35.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.24 R$6.80

283.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.32 R$7.23

146.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.84 R$48.53

-39.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.14 R$6.26

34.21%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.7K R$119.1K

-2.21%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.6K R$173.3K

-26.31%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$40.77 R$224

104.78%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$12.92 R$70.9

79.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$14.85 R$81.5

85.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$24.40 R$134

131.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$25.36 R$139

11.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.24 R$39.72

-30.94%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$401 R$2,198

-48.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$7,272 R$39.9K

-28.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$31.47 R$173

38.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$18.95 R$104

124.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$55.6 R$305

30.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$79.7 R$437

10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$332 R$1,824

199.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$226 R$1,242

68.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$638 R$3,499

162.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$456 R$2,502

137.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,578 R$8,659

147.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,129 R$6,199

443.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.12

2.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cerquilho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cerquilho

$226 29.9% 40.8% $156

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cerquilho

$169 22.3% 34.3% $88

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cerquilho

$118 15.6% 41.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cerquilho

$69 9% 49% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cerquilho

$84 11% 24.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cerquilho

$39 5.1% 41.5% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cerquilho

$54 7.1% 6.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $332 in Cerquilho. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Cerquilho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $169 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

44,695

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cerquilho 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cerquilho

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 Cerquilho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 59% more than Cerquilho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,137 in Cerquilho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cerquilho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $401 in Cerquilho. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $758 in Cerquilho to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.