Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Joao Pessoa Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Joao Pessoa

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 45.5% more expensive than Joao Pessoa without rent, and 48.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 12.8% more expensive than Joao Pessoa without rent, and 64.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$5.28 R$29.3
127.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$26.92 R$149
57.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$6.26 R$34.73
67.25%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.62 R$8.97
122.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.94 R$5.2
53.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.56 R$3.14
58.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.84 R$10.19
67.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.31 R$18.36
38.37%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.16 R$6.43
18.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.5 R$8.31
23.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.34 R$7.46
17.16%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.44 R$13.54
4.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$6.25 R$34.69
37.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.94 R$21.87
116.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.22 R$34.52
76.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.62 R$14.53
3.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$0.92 R$5.08
64.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.82 R$4.56
129.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.03 R$5.74
112.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.2 R$6.65
55.83%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$0.9 R$5
143.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.62 R$3.43
72.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.81 R$4.5
34.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.76 R$15.32
43.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$7.54 R$41.88
17.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.44 R$7.97
19.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.85 R$15.83
-8.42%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.92 R$5.13
-43.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$62 R$344
-57.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.81 R$10.06
79.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.67 R$3.69
255.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$2.89 R$16.05
7.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.03 R$5.72
27.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$19.1K R$106.1K
58.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$28.5K R$158.4K
-15.93%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$76.4 R$424
10.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$22.12 R$123
0.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$19.77 R$110
52.45%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$28.52 R$158
82.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$27.21 R$151
-31.20%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.34 R$40.72
-30.93%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$322 R$1,788
-37.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,120 R$34K
-12.87%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$41.41 R$230
-13.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$55.7 R$309
-28.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$112 R$622
-29.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$70.2 R$390
25.88%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$217 R$1,205
344.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$218 R$1,208
117.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$487 R$2,705
239.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$443 R$2,459
171.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,414 R$13.4K
27.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,288 R$7,150
484.47%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$469 R$2,605
68.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10
14.20%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 28, 2025

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