Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Contenda

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $827 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $827 in Contenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Contenda $827

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,271 in Contenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Contenda $1,271

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,714 in Contenda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Contenda $1,714

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Contenda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Contenda 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$3.83 R$20.91

178.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$10.98 R$60.0

298.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.16 R$39.12

64.66%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$2.32 R$12.66

63.36%

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

$1.30 MX$24.07

$1.25 R$6.83

4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.47

$0.58 R$3.20

43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.88 R$10.26

67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$1.90 R$10.36

159.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$0.99 R$5.43

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.75

$1.52 R$8.32

44.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$1.19 R$6.48

23.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.34

$2.39 R$13.04

4.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$9.16 R$50.0

-20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.69 R$20.14

115.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.50 R$40.98

71.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$2.28 R$12.46

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.15 R$6.29

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.23

$1.10 R$6.01

126.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.67

$1.28 R$6.97

58.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$0.96 R$5.23

110.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.32

$0.86 R$4.69

120.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$0.71 R$3.89

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.99

$0.71 R$3.88

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.83 R$15.44

50.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$3.80 R$20.75

158.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.37 R$7.51

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.89 R$10.31

45.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.98 R$5.37

-47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$508

$42.51 R$232

-35.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$1.13 R$6.18

321.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.90 R$4.92

261.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$9.42 R$51.5

-42.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.14 R$6.22

34.21%

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

$21.2K MX$393.7K

$16.5K R$90.3K

28.37%

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

$23.3K MX$431.7K

$20.5K R$111.9K

13.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,549

$78.4 R$428

6.56%

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

$23.19 MX$430

$7.59 R$41.46

205.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$512

$18.25 R$99.7

51.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,047

$24.15 R$132

133.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$523

$25.75 R$141

9.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.8

$7.59 R$41.45

-34.12%

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

$207 MX$3,843

$258 R$1,407

-19.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$10.3K R$56.2K

-49.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$806

$60.5 R$331

-28.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$789

$67.3 R$368

-36.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,350

$103 R$561

-29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,640

$63.7 R$348

38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$342 R$1,869

190.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,097

$228 R$1,243

68.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$627 R$3,425

167.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$450 R$2,460

140.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.5K

$1,561 R$8,530

150.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$113.9K

$1,141 R$6,232

438.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.61

7.92%

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 Contenda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Contenda

$228 27.5% 40.5% $155

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Contenda

$171 20.7% 33.5% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Contenda

$100 12.1% 49.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Contenda

$104 12.6% 22.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Contenda

$132 16% 19.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Contenda

$39 4.8% 40.8% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Contenda

$52 6.3% 3.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $342 in Contenda. 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 $11 in Contenda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $171 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Contenda

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,128

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Contenda 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Contenda

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 Contenda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,241 in Contenda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $258 in Contenda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $827 in Contenda. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $827 in Contenda to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.