Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jaboatão dos Guararapes

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaboatão dos Guararapes: $800 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Jaboatão dos Guararapes
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Jaboatão dos Guararapes Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

🇧🇷 Brazil

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Jaboatão dos Guararapes

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 Jaboatão dos Guararapes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $800 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jaboatão dos Guararapes $800

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,233 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jaboatão dos Guararapes $1,233

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,665 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jaboatão dos Guararapes $1,665

Playa del Carmen costs about 50% more than Jaboatão dos Guararapes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Jaboatão dos Guararapes are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jaboatão dos Guararapes 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.71 R$30.72

91.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$28.17 R$152

53.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.61 R$40.97

54.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.48 R$7.97

157.43%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.93 R$4.99

37.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.56 R$3.00

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.47 R$7.93

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.95 R$15.87

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.14 R$6.11

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.93 R$10.41

15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.38 R$7.41

2.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.02 R$10.86

24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$7.39 R$39.77

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.27 R$22.97

80.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.63 R$41.08

66.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.32 R$7.11

110.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.93 R$5.00

47.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$0.73 R$3.94

249.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.13 R$6.07

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.31 R$7.05

48.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.05 R$5.64

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.45 R$2.42

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.84 R$4.51

40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.72 R$14.65

58.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.52 R$40.45

32.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.09 R$5.88

44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.42 R$7.66

88.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.73 R$3.95

-24.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$42.11 R$227

-36.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.13 R$6.08

339.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.69 R$3.70

382.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$2.94 R$15.83

82.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.23 R$6.62

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.8K R$117.3K

-5.16%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$31.2K R$167.7K

-24.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$108 R$579

-21.24%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$12.34 R$66.4

89.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$16.79 R$90.4

70.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$23.77 R$128

140.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$27.14 R$146

6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.35 R$50.3

-45.03%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$264 R$1,418

-21.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$6,218 R$33.5K

-36.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$42.05 R$226

3.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$47.06 R$253

-11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$71.3 R$384

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$71.5 R$385

24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$335 R$1,801

192.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$189 R$1,017

101.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$622 R$3,345

174.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$327 R$1,759

229.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,607 R$8,650

145.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,060 R$5,707

480.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$293 R$1,578

150.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.75

-2.55%

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 Jaboatão dos Guararapes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$189 23.6% 50.4% $192

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$173 21.6% 32.2% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$105 13.2% 47.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$137 17.1% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$104 13% 6.6% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$42 5.3% 36.9% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jaboatão dos Guararapes

$50 6.2% 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $335 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $28 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $173 – making Jaboatão dos Guararapes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Jaboatão dos Guararapes

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

644,037

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jaboatão dos Guararapes 6,530 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jaboatão dos Guararapes

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 Jaboatão dos Guararapes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,200 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $800 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. That makes Jaboatão dos Guararapes about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, where all-in costs run around $800, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Jaboatão dos Guararapes 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 $800 in Jaboatão dos Guararapes to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Jaboatão dos Guararapes. 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.