Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $887 in Macaé.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Macaé $2,102

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 36% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Macaé 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.43 R$27.54

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.78 R$151

48.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.91 R$35.00

70.19%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.72 R$8.73

113.95%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.39 R$7.04

-3.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.63 R$3.18

30.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.21 R$6.16

152.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.79 R$14.16

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.96 R$4.85

53.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.56 R$7.91

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.38 R$6.99

7.25%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.94 R$9.85

28.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.12 R$46.21

-17.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.34 R$16.92

138.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.69 R$49.10

29.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.86 R$9.40

49.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.20 R$6.11

19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.96 R$4.85

172.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.23 R$6.21

73.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.64 R$3.23

215.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.81 R$4.09

145.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.54 R$2.73

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.52 R$2.64

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.56 R$7.88

173.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.09 R$30.86

64.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.95 R$4.82

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.25 R$6.35

112.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.61 R$8.16

-67.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$83.9 R$425

-67.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.41 R$7.14

247.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.79 R$4.03

334.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.92 R$40.16

-32.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.29 R$6.53

12.40%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.5K R$109.0K

-1.61%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$31.2K R$158.2K

-26.22%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$100.0 R$507

-14.60%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.21 R$51.7

129.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.76 R$95.1

51.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$39.82 R$202

56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$34.04 R$173

-15.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.79 R$34.44

-24.89%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$648 R$3,283

-68.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,012 R$35.5K

-43.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$63.1 R$320

-29.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$32.02 R$162

29.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$66.9 R$339

8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$46.66 R$237

92.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$370 R$1,873

165.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$241 R$1,221

54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$886 R$4,490

89.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$669 R$3,392

63.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,270 R$6,436

211.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$800 R$4,054

667.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$799 R$4,049

-7.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.67

7.31%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 35.4% $132

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 34.5% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 47.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 6.1% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 15.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Macaé

$53 6% 26.2% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 85.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

246,391

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Macaé 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Macaé differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Macaé. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $887 in Macaé – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.