Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Irati

For one person, living is cheaper in Irati: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Irati
Learn more

Irati Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Irati

🇧🇷 Brazil

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $784 in Irati.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Irati $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Irati.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Irati $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,695 in Irati.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Irati $1,695

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 54% more expensive than in Irati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Irati 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.14 R$31.12

76.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$24.52 R$124

80.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.08 R$35.87

66.10%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.46 R$7.41

152.05%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.58 R$2.94

131.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.52 R$2.65

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.38 R$6.99

121.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.10 R$10.62

135.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.83 R$4.20

77.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.16 R$5.89

91.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.81 R$4.08

82.72%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.38 R$7.00

80.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.61 R$33.50

13.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.22 R$16.33

147.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.95 R$35.25

80.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.66 R$8.41

67.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.79 R$4.00

81.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.76 R$3.86

244.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.35 R$6.86

58.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.78 R$3.94

158.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.57 R$2.91

249.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.50 R$2.55

128.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.61 R$3.07

96.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.23 R$11.30

91.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.69 R$44.04

15.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.12 R$5.66

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.55 R$7.88

71.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.00 R$5.09

-47.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$43.53 R$221

-36.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.37 R$6.93

257.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.56 R$7.93

119.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.49 R$27.83

-2.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.31 R$6.63

10.69%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$18.2K R$92.3K

16.14%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.1K R$132.1K

-11.66%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$60.4 R$306

41.23%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.44 R$58.0

105.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$17.50 R$88.7

62.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.95 R$132

139.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$27.79 R$141

3.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.04 R$35.70

-27.56%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$321 R$1,627

-37.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,513 R$33.0K

-39.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$46.12 R$234

-3.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$47.86 R$243

-13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$92.0 R$466

-20.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$59.0 R$299

51.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$355 R$1,800

175.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$237 R$1,202

57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$686 R$3,476

145.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$464 R$2,352

136.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,735 R$8,796

127.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,194 R$6,053

413.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$517 R$2,621

42.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

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 Irati: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Irati

$237 30.2% 36.4% $136

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Irati

$147 18.8% 43.1% $111

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Irati

$103 13.2% 48.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Irati

$89 11.4% 34.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Irati

$110 14.1% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Irati

$40 5.1% 44.7% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Irati

$57 7.2% 9.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $355 in Irati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 43% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $25.00 in Irati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $147 per month, with Irati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Irati

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

59,250

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Irati 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Irati

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 Irati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irati wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $355 in Irati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Irati runs roughly 58% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $321 in Irati. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $784 in Irati versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irati but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Irati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Irati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $784 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Irati hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Irati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.