Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Imperatriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $854 in Imperatriz.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Imperatriz $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,356 in Imperatriz.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Imperatriz $1,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,859 in Imperatriz.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Imperatriz $1,859

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 41% more expensive than in Imperatriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Imperatriz 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$5.59 R$30.51

90.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$32.30 R$176

35.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.75 R$42.33

52.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.85 R$10.08

104.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.35 R$7.38

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.45 R$2.45

84.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.01 R$11.00

56.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.03 R$16.54

62.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.14 R$6.24

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.44 R$7.88

52.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.27 R$6.92

15.75%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.32 R$12.64

7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$7.41 R$40.43

-1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.52 R$19.23

125.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$8.81 R$48.09

45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.30 R$12.54

26.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.21 R$6.63

14.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$0.93 R$5.06

167.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.42 R$7.75

42.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.11 R$6.09

81.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.14 R$6.25

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.76 R$4.16

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.72 R$3.95

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.96 R$10.72

117.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$6.48 R$35.38

51.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.08 R$5.87

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.90 R$10.39

44.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.83 R$4.52

-38.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$43.87 R$240

-37.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.23 R$6.71

286.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.74 R$4.05

339.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.59 R$41.45

-28.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.14 R$6.22

34.21%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$22.8K R$124.6K

-7.05%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$30.2K R$164.9K

-22.96%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$65.1 R$355

28.33%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$12.79 R$69.8

81.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$19.61 R$107

40.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$23.65 R$129

138.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$24.82 R$136

13.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.04 R$33.00

-17.22%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$266 R$1,452

-22.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$5,987 R$32.7K

-12.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$45.69 R$249

-4.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$46.81 R$256

-9.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$88.5 R$483

-17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$68.6 R$374

28.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$288 R$1,575

244.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$268 R$1,460

42.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$612 R$3,340

173.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$505 R$2,756

114.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,613 R$8,809

142.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,168 R$6,379

425.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Imperatriz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Imperatriz

$268 31.3% 30% $115

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Imperatriz

$176 20.6% 31.8% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Imperatriz

$113 13.3% 43.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Imperatriz

$97 11.4% 27.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Imperatriz

$112 13.2% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Imperatriz

$36 4.2% 46.2% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Imperatriz

$52 6.1% 3.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $288 in Imperatriz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $32 in Imperatriz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $176 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

273,110

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Imperatriz 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Imperatriz

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 Imperatriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperatriz is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,281 in Imperatriz 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $288 in Imperatriz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – 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.

At $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz 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.