Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $937 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
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Itajai Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $937 in Itajai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Itajai $937

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,142 in Itajai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Itajai $1,142

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,347 in Itajai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Itajai $1,347

Playa del Carmen costs about 29% more than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Itajai are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Itajai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.57 R$30.28

96.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$36.95 R$201

17.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.17 R$44.45

44.19%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.26 R$12.31

68.58%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.07 R$5.82

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.84 R$4.56

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.54 R$13.83

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$2.80 R$15.24

76.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.93 R$5.08

51.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.51 R$8.20

47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$0.89 R$4.85

59.55%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.94 R$10.53

29.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.10 R$49.50

-20.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.25 R$23.10

81.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$7.34 R$39.93

72.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.70 R$9.22

63.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$0.93 R$5.08

47.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$0.98 R$5.35

160.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.26 R$6.87

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.75 R$4.06

158.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.58 R$3.13

225.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.74 R$4.04

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.76 R$4.13

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.76 R$15.01

55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$6.68 R$36.34

48.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$0.76 R$4.16

107.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.78 R$9.66

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.82 R$4.43

-32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.23 R$6.67

304.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.73 R$3.95

356.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$5.59 R$30.37

-4.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.24 R$6.76

16.13%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$22.2K R$120.9K

-7.07%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.0K R$174.0K

-26.69%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$98.6 R$536

-14.02%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.42 R$56.6

124.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$21.39 R$116

33.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$25.46 R$138

124.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.28 R$39.56

-29.40%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$257 R$1,396

-19.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$4,861 R$26.4K

-19.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$68.6 R$373

-36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$66.9 R$364

-38.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$88.2 R$480

-15.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$76.4 R$415

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$470 R$2,556

108.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$334 R$1,815

14.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,295 R$7,041

31.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$2,127 R$11.6K

85.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$591 R$3,213

24.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.68

7.21%

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 Itajai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Itajai

$334 35.7% 12.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Itajai

$167 17.8% 34.5% $88

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Itajai

$122 13.1% 39.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Itajai

$130 13.9% 4.7% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Itajai

$135 14.4% 20.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Itajai

$40 4.3% 40.6% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Itajai

$8.1 * 0.9% 83.9% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $470 in Itajai. 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 24% 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Itajai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $167 – making Itajai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

264,054

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Itajai 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $937 in Itajai – Itajai comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,405 in Itajai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itajai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $470 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $937 in Itajai. That makes Itajai about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $257 in Itajai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Itajai, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Itajai 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 $937 in Itajai to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Itajai. 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.