Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dourados

For one person, living is cheaper in Dourados: $881 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Dourados
Learn more

Dourados Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dourados

🇧🇷 Brazil

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $881 in Dourados.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dourados $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,409 in Dourados.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Dourados $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,937 in Dourados.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Dourados $1,937

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 37% more expensive than in Dourados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Dourados 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$6.05 R$30.20

79.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$31.61 R$158

39.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$7.72 R$38.57

52.33%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$2.09 R$10.44

76.08%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$1.33 R$6.63

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$0.77 R$3.84

6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.02 R$10.10

51.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$3.07 R$15.35

60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.07 R$5.34

37.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$1.73 R$8.64

28.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$1.28 R$6.42

15.62%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$2.15 R$10.75

15.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$9.53 R$47.61

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$4.35 R$21.71

82.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$8.40 R$41.97

49.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.24 R$11.19

24.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.31 R$6.56

9.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$1.21 R$6.06

116.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$1.53 R$7.65

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$1.27 R$6.35

59.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$1.11 R$5.55

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.84 R$4.20

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.83 R$4.17

44.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$2.47 R$12.36

72.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$7.87 R$39.30

27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.27 R$6.36

21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$2.03 R$10.17

31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$1.00 R$4.99

-47.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

$44.26 R$221

-37.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$1.32 R$6.60

271.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$0.92 R$4.61

272.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$8.17 R$40.82

-34.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$1.31 R$6.53

10.69%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$23.9K R$119.5K

-11.55%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$32.6K R$162.8K

-29.35%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$75.6 R$378

12.88%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$12.64 R$63.2

85.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$20.95 R$105

35.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

$25.92 R$130

139.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

$27.94 R$140

2.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$7.39 R$36.94

-30.99%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$284 R$1,420

-29.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$7,338 R$36.7K

-46.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$54.8 R$274

-19.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$50.3 R$251

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$92.1 R$460

-20.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$73.8 R$369

21.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$360 R$1,798

172.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$240 R$1,198

55.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$686 R$3,425

145.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$481 R$2,402

127.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

$1,719 R$8,588

129.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$1,189 R$5,939

416.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Dourados: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Dourados

$240 27.2% 35.7% $133

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Dourados

$194 22.1% 24.8% $64

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Dourados

$121 13.8% 39.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dourados

$109 12.4% 20.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dourados

$122 13.8% 9.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Dourados

$41 4.6% 43.8% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Dourados

$54 6.2% 4.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $360 in Dourados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Dourados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $194 per month, with Dourados cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Dourados

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

243,367

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dourados 5,910 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dourados

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 Dourados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dourados wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dourados the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,322 in Dourados to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $360 in Dourados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dourados – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Dourados is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.