Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Criciuma

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $711 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
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Criciuma Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $711 in Criciuma.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Criciuma $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,060 in Criciuma.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Criciuma $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,410 in Criciuma.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Criciuma $1,410

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 69% more expensive than in Criciuma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Criciuma 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$5.38 R$29.39

98.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$20.36 R$111

115.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$5.48 R$29.92

115.15%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.23 R$6.72

208.13%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.04 R$5.68

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.68 R$3.71

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.50 R$8.20

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.83 R$9.97

169.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.84 R$4.60

67.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.35 R$7.40

62.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.02 R$5.58

44.12%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.90 R$10.36

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.59 R$41.47

-3.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.38 R$18.46

135.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$8.00 R$43.66

60.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.96 R$10.72

47.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.08 R$5.92

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$0.94 R$5.16

164.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.48 R$8.11

37.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.15 R$6.30

75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.03 R$5.63

84.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.74 R$4.04

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.61 R$3.31

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.35 R$12.81

81.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$4.38 R$23.93

123.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.08 R$5.91

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.33 R$7.29

106.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.95 R$5.17

-46.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$36.40 R$199

-24.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.45 R$2.48

957.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.72 R$3.95

351.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.27 R$12.37

137.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.22 R$6.65

25.41%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.7K R$118.5K

-2.21%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$28.5K R$155.6K

-18.33%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$66.5 R$363

25.57%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.38 R$62.2

103.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.08 R$110

37.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$26.76 R$146

110.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$37.06 R$202

-23.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.77 R$36.95

-26.14%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$154 R$842

34.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$2,747 R$15.0K

90.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$46.99 R$257

-7.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$27.95 R$153

52.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$75.9 R$415

-4.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$40.62 R$222

117.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$222 R$1,210

348.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$192 R$1,049

99.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$378 R$2,064

342.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$248 R$1,355

335.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,096 R$5,985

256.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$594 R$3,245

932.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$288 R$1,572

189.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.74

6.61%

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 Criciuma: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Criciuma

$192 27% 49.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Criciuma

$157 22.2% 38.8% $100

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Criciuma

$92 13% 53.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Criciuma

$98 13.8% 27.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Criciuma

$86 12.1% 22.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Criciuma

$40 5.7% 39.4% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Criciuma

$44 6.2% 12.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $222 in Criciuma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Criciuma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $157 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

214,493

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Criciuma 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Criciuma

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 Criciuma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Criciuma is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $222 in Criciuma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 25% less than in Criciuma. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $154 in Criciuma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Criciuma versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Criciuma wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.