Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gravataí

For one person, living is cheaper in Gravataí: $714 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 Gravataí
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Gravataí Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Gravataí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $714 in Gravataí.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Gravataí $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,090 in Gravataí.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gravataí $1,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,466 in Gravataí.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Gravataí $1,466

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 68% more expensive than in Gravataí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$5.63 R$30.91

89.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$18.19 R$99.8

140.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.34 R$34.78

85.96%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.81 R$9.96

109.39%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.29 R$7.10

0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.94 R$5.14

-11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.27 R$12.43

38.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.79 R$15.32

76.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.89 R$4.91

58.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.57 R$8.63

40.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.02 R$5.60

44.12%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.78 R$9.79

40.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.58 R$52.6

-23.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.36 R$23.95

82.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$8.23 R$45.14

56.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.25 R$12.37

28.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.21 R$6.62

14.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.95 R$5.20

162.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.56 R$8.58

30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.80 R$4.40

152.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.05 R$5.76

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.73 R$3.99

56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.75 R$4.13

65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.35 R$12.92

81.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$7.39 R$40.54

32.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.70 R$3.82

127.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$0.88 R$4.84

212.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.34 R$7.37

-61.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.36 R$7.44

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.79 R$4.36

311.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.48 R$41.03

-27.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.00 R$5.48

53.00%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$18.0K R$98.7K

17.97%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$24.4K R$133.8K

-4.57%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$65.5 R$360

27.43%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$7.52 R$41.26

208.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$19.43 R$107

42.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$23.84 R$131

136.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$27.68 R$152

1.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.31 R$34.62

-20.76%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$140 R$768

47.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$1,772 R$9,726

195.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$45.90 R$252

-5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$54.3 R$298

-21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$53.3 R$292

36.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$59.9 R$329

47.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$245 R$1,343

306.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$189 R$1,039

101.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$461 R$2,532

262.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$306 R$1,677

253.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$954 R$5,237

309.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$705 R$3,869

770.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$566 R$3,105

47.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.5

-0.43%

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 Gravataí: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Gravataí

$189 26.5% 50.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Gravataí

$178 24.9% 31% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Gravataí

$112 15.6% 44.2% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Gravataí

$92 12.9% 31.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Gravataí

$96 13.4% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Gravataí

$36 5.1% 45.1% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gravataí

$11 * 1.5% 78.8% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $245 in Gravataí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 47% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $18 in Gravataí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $178 per month, with Gravataí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Gravataí

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

265,074

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gravataí 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gravataí

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 Gravataí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 47% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $245 in Gravataí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $140 in Gravataí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gravataí – a meal for two runs $18 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $714 in Gravataí versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gravataí but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gravataí 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 – Gravataí 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.