Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Franco da Rocha

For one person, living is cheaper in Franco da Rocha: $890 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Franco da Rocha
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Franco da Rocha Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Franco da Rocha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Franco da Rocha

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 Franco da Rocha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $890 in Franco da Rocha.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Franco da Rocha $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,429 in Franco da Rocha.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Franco da Rocha $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,969 in Franco da Rocha.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Franco da Rocha $1,969

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 35% more expensive than in Franco da Rocha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Franco da Rocha 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$6.52 R$34.87

67.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$37.96 R$203

14.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.26 R$44.19

42.62%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.11 R$11.28

80.57%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.57 R$8.40

-18.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.13 R$6.05

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.57 R$13.77

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.06 R$21.72

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.17 R$6.28

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.91 R$10.19

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.07 R$5.73

32.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.47 R$13.21

2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.42 R$45.03

-13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.11 R$21.97

87.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.26 R$54.9

23.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.67 R$14.26

4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.74 R$9.30

-21.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.65 R$8.81

54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.68 R$8.99

26.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.27 R$6.80

52.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.27 R$6.78

48.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.85 R$4.53

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.73 R$3.91

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.63 R$14.06

63.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.20 R$43.87

21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.53 R$8.17

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$4.30 R$22.98

-37.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.94 R$5.03

-41.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$41.14 R$220

-35.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.25 R$6.71

297.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.34 R$7.14

148.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.00 R$48.10

-40.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.18 R$6.30

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$22.5K R$120.5K

-8.29%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$31.2K R$167.0K

-24.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$40.45 R$216

109.62%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$13.60 R$72.7

72.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$16.88 R$90.3

69.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$24.01 R$128

137.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$28.68 R$153

0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.51 R$40.17

-31.56%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$405 R$2,164

-48.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$7,204 R$38.5K

-45.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$52.5 R$281

-17.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$54.4 R$291

-23.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$88.5 R$473

-16.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$78.7 R$421

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$335 R$1,792

192.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$258 R$1,380

47.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$638 R$3,411

167.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$455 R$2,432

136.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,715 R$9,171

129.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,244 R$6,652

394.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Franco da Rocha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Franco da Rocha

$258 29% 32.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Franco da Rocha

$212 23.8% 17% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Franco da Rocha

$134 15.1% 33.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Franco da Rocha

$71 8% 48.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Franco da Rocha

$123 13.9% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Franco da Rocha

$39 4.4% 42% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Franco da Rocha

$53 5.9% 4.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $335 in Franco da Rocha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $38 in Franco da Rocha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $212 per month, with Franco da Rocha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Franco da Rocha

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

144,849

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Franco da Rocha 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Franco da Rocha

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 Franco da Rocha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $890 in Franco da Rocha, so Franco da Rocha is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,335 in Franco da Rocha 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $335 in Franco da Rocha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $890 in Franco da Rocha – Franco da Rocha is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 35% less than in Franco da Rocha. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $890 in Franco da Rocha versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Franco da Rocha but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Franco da Rocha 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.