Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
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Chapeco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $980 in Chapeco.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Chapeco $1,927

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 23% more expensive than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Chapeco 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.53 R$28.05

96.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$35.46 R$180

24.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.92 R$45.20

31.84%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.92 R$9.76

91.67%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.75 R$3.80

78.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.59 R$2.98

38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.45 R$7.33

111.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.31 R$11.73

113.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.90 R$4.56

63.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.14 R$5.78

94.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.14 R$10.85

-30.84%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.86 R$9.44

33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.24 R$41.75

-8.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$7.53 R$38.20

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.95 R$55.5

14.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.34 R$11.88

18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.99 R$5.02

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.53 R$2.68

394.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.70 R$3.54

205.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.53 R$2.70

281.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.53 R$2.70

275.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.95 R$4.83

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.70 R$3.53

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.32 R$11.75

83.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.31 R$47.19

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.88 R$4.48

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.48 R$7.49

79.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.97 R$4.94

-45.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$36.44 R$185

-24.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.28 R$6.50

282.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.17 R$5.93

23.93%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.9K R$116.0K

-7.51%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$30.5K R$154.6K

-24.54%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$172 R$873

-50.41%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.47 R$53.1

124.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.84 R$95.5

50.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$26.24 R$133

137.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$33.45 R$170

-14.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.68 R$33.86

-23.65%

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$26.98 R$137

64.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$18.26 R$92.6

126.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$36.87 R$187

97.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$53.6 R$272

67.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$415 R$2,103

136.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$329 R$1,668

13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$851 R$4,313

97.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$536 R$2,718

104.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,509 R$7,649

161.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$987 R$5,005

521.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$414 R$2,097

78.29%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Chapeco

$329 33.6% 11.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Chapeco

$196 20% 24.3% $63

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Chapeco

$111 11.4% 44.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chapeco

$201 20.6% 46.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chapeco

$61 6.2% 45.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Chapeco

$40 4% 45.3% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3% 19.5% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 78% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $35.00 in Chapeco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $196 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

243,477

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $980 in Chapeco – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.