Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $782 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $782 in Ilheus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ilheus $782

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,268 in Ilheus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ilheus $1,268

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,754 in Ilheus, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ilheus $1,754

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ilheus are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ilheus 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.91 R$21.48

172.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$29.38 R$161

49.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.24 R$39.75

62.85%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.82 R$10.00

108.24%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.23 R$6.75

5.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.81 R$4.45

2.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.26 R$12.40

39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.16 R$17.33

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.99 R$5.46

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.51 R$8.30

45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.15 R$6.34

27.83%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.16 R$11.86

15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$17.30 R$95.0

-57.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.81 R$20.90

108.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.37 R$40.46

74.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.12 R$11.63

36.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.26 R$6.90

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.08 R$5.91

130.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.41 R$7.72

43.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.11 R$6.11

81.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.04 R$5.70

82.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.77 R$4.23

48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.74 R$4.06

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.36 R$12.93

80.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$7.04 R$38.63

39.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.16 R$6.34

37.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.84 R$10.12

49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.97 R$5.35

-47.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$45.03 R$247

-39.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.22 R$6.70

290.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.81 R$4.42

301.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.01 R$38.45

-23.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.07 R$5.86

42.99%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$18.9K R$103.8K

12.20%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$34.9K R$191.7K

-33.39%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$72.3 R$397

15.53%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$11.46 R$62.9

102.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$19.12 R$105

44.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$20.38 R$112

176.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$22.39 R$123

25.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$7.37 R$40.42

-32.16%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$275 R$1,511

-24.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$6,712 R$36.8K

-22.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$49.75 R$273

-12.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$39.59 R$217

7.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$83.0 R$456

-12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$65.7 R$361

34.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$204 R$1,118

388.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$180 R$990

111.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$522 R$2,864

220.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$394 R$2,160

174.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,502 R$8,241

160.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,297 R$7,118

373.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$560 R$3,071

48.75%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ilheus

$180 23.1% 52.8% $202

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ilheus

$202 25.8% 21.6% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ilheus

$101 12.9% 49.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ilheus

$103 13.2% 23.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ilheus

$107 13.7% 3.7% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ilheus

$35 4.5% 47.2% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ilheus

$54 6.9% 7.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $204 in Ilheus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Ilheus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $202 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

178,649

💱 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 Ilheus 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $782 in Ilheus – Ilheus comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,173 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $29 in Ilheus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ilheus, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Ilheus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $782 in Ilheus to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ilheus. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.