Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Joinville

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $976 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Joinville
Learn more

Joinville Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Joinville

🇧🇷 Brazil

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $976 in Joinville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Joinville $976

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,496 in Joinville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Joinville $1,496

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,016 in Joinville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Joinville $2,016

Playa del Carmen costs about 23% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Joinville are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Joinville 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.73 R$42.03

41.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$46.97 R$255

-7.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.59 R$35.83

78.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.85 R$10.07

105.95%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.04 R$5.66

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.46 R$2.50

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.24 R$17.64

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.25 R$12.26

119.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.95 R$5.14

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.22 R$6.65

81.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$0.97 R$5.25

46.39%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.74 R$14.88

-8.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$7.89 R$42.91

-7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.07 R$16.68

150.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$6.22 R$33.81

104.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.71 R$9.30

62.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.09 R$5.92

25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.32 R$7.16

93.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.61 R$8.74

31.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.19 R$6.45

63.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.18 R$6.42

60.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.41 R$7.68

-18.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.92 R$5.03

28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.03 R$16.50

41.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.64 R$47.00

15.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.03 R$5.60

53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.89 R$15.71

-7.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.25 R$6.78

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$56.0 R$305

-52.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.87 R$10.20

165.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.45 R$7.88

129.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$9.51 R$51.7

-43.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.23 R$6.70

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.0K R$119.8K

-6.18%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$32.0K R$173.8K

-26.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$55.6 R$302

52.58%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.78 R$58.6

117.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$19.35 R$105

48.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$25.09 R$136

127.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$26.31 R$143

9.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.03 R$43.66

-35.99%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$294 R$1,601

-29.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$6,147 R$33.4K

-36.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$43.66 R$238

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$85.2 R$464

-51.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$85.6 R$466

-13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$64.8 R$352

37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$383 R$2,085

155.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$349 R$1,899

9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$997 R$5,424

71.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$500 R$2,718

115.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,845 R$10.0K

113.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,261 R$6,862

388.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$655 R$3,560

12.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.5

9.05%

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 Joinville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Joinville

$349 35.8% 8.3% $32

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Joinville

$173 17.8% 31.9% $81

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Joinville

$131 13.4% 35.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Joinville

$86 8.8% 37.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Joinville

$126 12.9% 12.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Joinville

$41 4.2% 38.9% $26

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Joinville

$70 7.2% 38.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $383 in Joinville. 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 12% 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 $47 in Joinville. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $173 in Joinville – so Joinville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Joinville

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

616,317

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 31, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Joinville 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Joinville

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 Joinville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 23% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,463 in Joinville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joinville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $47 in Joinville. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $976 in Joinville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $976 in Joinville to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Joinville. 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.