Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cotia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $868 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
Learn more

Cotia Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $868 in Cotia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cotia $868

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,421 in Cotia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cotia $1,421

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,974 in Cotia, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cotia $1,974

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cotia are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cotia 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$6.41 R$35.19

66.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$37.71 R$207

16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$8.32 R$45.65

41.71%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.44 R$13.39

55.33%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.32 R$7.25

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.08 R$5.94

-23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.66 R$14.60

18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.02 R$22.04

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.12 R$6.12

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.75 R$9.62

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.15 R$6.32

27.83%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.68 R$14.69

-6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$11.26 R$61.8

-35.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.33 R$23.75

83.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.07 R$55.2

27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.53 R$13.91

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.66 R$9.12

-16.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.46 R$8.03

70.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.76 R$9.65

15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.34 R$7.33

50.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.21 R$6.63

57.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.84 R$4.61

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.69 R$3.79

79.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.63 R$14.43

62.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.28 R$45.46

18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.60 R$8.80

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.31 R$12.70

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.94 R$5.18

-45.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$42.38 R$233

-35.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.21 R$6.62

293.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.89 R$4.90

265.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$8.84 R$48.50

-39.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.23 R$6.75

24.39%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$21.8K R$119.8K

-2.78%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$31.7K R$174.0K

-26.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$41.28 R$227

102.25%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$13.58 R$74.5

70.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$16.86 R$92.6

63.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$24.35 R$134

131.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$25.53 R$140

10.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$7.35 R$40.32

-31.97%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$401 R$2,203

-48.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,110 R$39.0K

-26.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$52.8 R$290

-17.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$54.4 R$299

-21.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$90.4 R$496

-19.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$78.9 R$433

12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$340 R$1,865

192.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$230 R$1,261

66.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$643 R$3,530

160.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$452 R$2,479

139.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,611 R$8,840

142.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,144 R$6,281

436.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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 Cotia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cotia

$230 26.5% 39.9% $153

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cotia

$214 24.7% 16.8% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cotia

$136 15.7% 31.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cotia

$72 8.3% 46.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cotia

$124 14.3% 11.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cotia

$39 4.5% 41.2% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cotia

$52 6% 2.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $340 in Cotia. 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 $38 in Cotia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $214 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Cotia

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

274,413

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 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 Cotia 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cotia

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 Cotia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Cotia, 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 $1,301 in Cotia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $38 in Cotia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $868 in Cotia. That makes Cotia about 28% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $868 in Cotia. 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 $868 in Cotia to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.