Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $821 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $821 in Jacareí.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Jacareí $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,326 in Jacareí.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jacareí $1,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,832 in Jacareí.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Jacareí $1,832

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 46% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Jacareí 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$6.54 R$35.73

63.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$30.31 R$166

44.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.60 R$36.01

78.64%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.11 R$11.53

79.62%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.46 R$7.97

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.91 R$4.97

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.46 R$13.43

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.87 R$15.68

71.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.12 R$6.14

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.72 R$9.38

27.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.08 R$5.91

36.11%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.35 R$12.86

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.18 R$44.66

-10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.11 R$22.42

93.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.45 R$51.6

36.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.33 R$12.75

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.75 R$9.56

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.73 R$9.47

43.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.66 R$9.06

22.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.25 R$6.80

61.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.22 R$6.65

55.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.91 R$4.97

25.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.73 R$4.00

69.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.27 R$12.40

88.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.46 R$40.71

31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.62 R$8.83

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.74 R$14.94

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.97 R$5.31

-47.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$41.91 R$229

-34.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.24 R$6.79

283.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.28 R$7.01

153.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$8.84 R$48.30

-39.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.22 R$6.64

25.41%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$22.5K R$123.0K

-5.84%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.2K R$170.2K

-25.35%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$40.18 R$219

107.79%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.33 R$61.9

104.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.60 R$112

34.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$23.77 R$130

137.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$25.53 R$139

10.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.25 R$39.60

-31.03%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$259 R$1,415

-20.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$7,158 R$39.1K

-26.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$50.5 R$276

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$34.25 R$187

24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$91.2 R$498

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$56.3 R$308

56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$333 R$1,818

198.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$227 R$1,242

68.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$637 R$3,476

163.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$445 R$2,429

142.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,604 R$8,760

143.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,153 R$6,297

432.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.12

2.97%

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 Jacareí: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Jacareí

$227 27.7% 40.5% $155

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Jacareí

$200 24.4% 22.3% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Jacareí

$125 15.2% 37.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Jacareí

$72 8.8% 46.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Jacareí

$105 12.7% 6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Jacareí

$38 4.7% 42.4% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jacareí

$53 6.5% 6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $333 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $30 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $200 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

11:42 11:42 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

240,275

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jacareí 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,231 in Jacareí 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 $333 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $259 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Jacareí is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.