Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $851 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Maceio - Alagoas $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,333 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Maceio - Alagoas $1,333

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,815 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Maceio - Alagoas $1,815

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 42% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Maceio - Alagoas 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.92 R$30.02

81.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$29.81 R$151

44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.87 R$29.75

100.85%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.77 R$8.97

118.64%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.09 R$5.50

25.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.48 R$2.46

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.64 R$8.30

89.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.18 R$21.20

21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.11 R$5.62

29.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.07 R$10.51

7.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.06 R$5.36

38.68%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.94 R$9.86

30.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.54 R$48.35

-23.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.52 R$22.91

73.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$7.66 R$38.83

66.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.86 R$14.48

1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.13 R$5.71

27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.38 R$6.99

84.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.35 R$6.87

52.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.42 R$7.20

40.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.32 R$6.70

52.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.58 R$2.94

105.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.84 R$4.24

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.09 R$10.61

110.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.96 R$35.27

37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.61 R$8.16

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.45 R$7.36

93.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.79 R$4.00

-27.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.39 R$1.96

1176.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.42 R$2.12

733.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.28 R$6.50

14.84%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$21.7K R$110.2K

-3.46%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$31.4K R$159.0K

-23.78%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$81.5 R$413

3.36%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$16.69 R$84.6

43.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$17.82 R$90.3

62.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$24.34 R$123

158.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.98 R$30.32

-17.39%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$219 R$1,111

-7.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$7,075 R$35.9K

-44.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$55.5 R$281

-21.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$78.3 R$397

-44.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$94.0 R$476

-19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$79.2 R$401

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$295 R$1,493

242.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$250 R$1,269

49.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$500 R$2,535

241.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$474 R$2,401

133.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,507 R$7,638

161.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$698 R$3,538

784.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$601 R$3,045

25.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.17

12.59%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Maceio - Alagoas

$250 29.4% 33.1% $124

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Maceio - Alagoas

$195 23% 24.4% $63

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$109 12.8% 46.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$116 13.6% 15.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$138 16.2% 22.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Maceio - Alagoas

$36 4.3% 50.2% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.6 * 0.7% 89.3% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $195 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,031,597

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Maceio - Alagoas 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maceio - Alagoas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $295 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $851 in Maceio - Alagoas – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $851 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maceio - Alagoas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Maceio - Alagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.