Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Itaquaquecetuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Itaquaquecetuba: $829 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Itaquaquecetuba, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Itaquaquecetuba
🇧🇷 Brazil
$829
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $829 in Itaquaquecetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Itaquaquecetuba $829

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,315 in Itaquaquecetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Itaquaquecetuba $1,315

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,801 in Itaquaquecetuba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Itaquaquecetuba $1,801

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Itaquaquecetuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Itaquaquecetuba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Itaquaquecetuba 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$5.69 R$31.21
87.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$30.06 R$165
45.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$7.29 R$39.98
61.73%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$1.92 R$10.56
97.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$1.20 R$6.60
8.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$0.71 R$3.87
16.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
$1.84 R$10.09
71.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
$2.74 R$15.02
79.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$0.92 R$5.07
53.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$1.56 R$8.54
41.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$1.21 R$6.64
21.49%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$1.97 R$10.82
26.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$8.86 R$48.65
-17.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$4.13 R$22.66
92.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$8.17 R$44.86
57.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$2.13 R$11.68
36.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$1.23 R$6.75
12.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$1.07 R$5.89
132.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$1.50 R$8.26
35.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$1.12 R$6.14
80.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$0.99 R$5.45
91.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$0.76 R$4.15
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$0.71 R$3.87
74.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$2.26 R$12.43
88.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
$7.54 R$41.37
30.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
$1.22 R$6.67
30.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
$1.90 R$10.45
44.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
$0.95 R$5.21
-46.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
$42.65 R$234
-35.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$1.19 R$6.53
300.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$0.85 R$4.68
282.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$7.64 R$41.96
-29.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$1.16 R$6.37
31.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$21.6K R$118.5K
-1.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$31.5K R$173.0K
-26.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$72.6 R$398
15.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$11.70 R$64.2
98.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$19.79 R$109
39.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
$24.64 R$135
129.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
$26.02 R$143
8.34%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$6.99 R$38.37
-28.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$256 R$1,403
-19.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
$6,634 R$36.4K
-21.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$51.2 R$281
-15.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$46.61 R$256
-8.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$84.3 R$463
-13.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$65.1 R$357
35.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$337 R$1,851
194.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
$229 R$1,258
66.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
$629 R$3,455
165.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$441 R$2,419
145.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
$1,585 R$8,699
146.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
$1,161 R$6,371
428.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Itaquaquecetuba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11
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 Itaquaquecetuba: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Itaquaquecetuba
$229 40% $153
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Itaquaquecetuba
$181 29.7% $76
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Itaquaquecetuba
$113 43.7% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Itaquaquecetuba
$104 22.5% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Itaquaquecetuba
$111 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Itaquaquecetuba
$39 41.9% $28
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Itaquaquecetuba
$52 2.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Itaquaquecetuba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Itaquaquecetuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $181 – making Itaquaquecetuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Itaquaquecetuba
🕒 Local time
04:30 4:30 AM
06:30 6:30 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
369,275
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Itaquaquecetuba 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Itaquaquecetuba

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 Itaquaquecetuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Itaquaquecetuba compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $829 in Itaquaquecetuba – Itaquaquecetuba comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Itaquaquecetuba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,243 in Itaquaquecetuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Itaquaquecetuba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Itaquaquecetuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do commuting costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Itaquaquecetuba?
Public transport costs about 36% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Itaquaquecetuba?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $256 in Itaquaquecetuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Itaquaquecetuba, where all-in costs run around $829, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Itaquaquecetuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Itaquaquecetuba?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $829 in Itaquaquecetuba to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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