Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Diadema

For one person, living is cheaper in Diadema: $623 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Diadema
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Diadema Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Diadema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $623 in Diadema.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Diadema $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,074 in Diadema.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Diadema $1,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,526 in Diadema.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Diadema $1,526

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 93% more expensive than in Diadema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Diadema 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$8.72 R$44.22

24.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$49.36 R$250

-10.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.79 R$44.55

33.79%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.17 R$11.02

69.59%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.36 R$6.87

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.89 R$4.52

-7.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.83 R$14.36

8.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.27 R$21.67

15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.18 R$5.97

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.87 R$9.48

18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.14 R$5.77

29.82%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.66 R$13.48

-6.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.11 R$46.17

-17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.31 R$21.86

84.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.73 R$54.4

17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.70 R$13.70

2.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.85 R$9.36

-22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.61 R$8.18

62.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.83 R$9.26

16.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.43 R$7.23

41.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.23 R$6.25

61.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.92 R$4.65

23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.80 R$4.07

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.74 R$13.89

55.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.00 R$45.64

11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.69 R$8.58

-8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.47 R$12.51

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.27 R$6.43

285.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.01 R$5.13

239.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.27 R$46.97

-41.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.30 R$6.58

11.54%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$23.9K R$120.9K

-11.29%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$33.3K R$168.8K

-30.88%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$43.18 R$219

97.68%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$14.52 R$73.6

61.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.47 R$93.6

53.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$19.98 R$101

211.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.84 R$39.73

-34.95%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$439 R$2,223

-54.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,604 R$38.5K

-48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$55.0 R$279

-19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$57.9 R$293

-28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$95.3 R$483

-23.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$85.5 R$434

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,209 R$6,128

226.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$796 R$4,036

670.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$505 R$2,558

46.17%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Diadema: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Diadema

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Diadema

$218 35.1% 15.5% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Diadema

$154 24.7% 23.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Diadema

$76 12.2% 44.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Diadema

$132 21.2% 18.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Diadema

$36 5.7% 50.7% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Diadema

$6.3 * 1% 87.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays 46% 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 $49.00 in Diadema. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $218, with Diadema cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Diadema

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

393,237

💱 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 Diadema 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Diadema

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 Diadema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Diadema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 46% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% 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 $623 in Diadema – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $623 in Diadema versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Diadema but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Diadema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Diadema is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Diadema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.