Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Manaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Manaus: $931 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
Learn more

Manaus Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $931 in Manaus.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Manaus $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,368 in Manaus.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Manaus $1,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,806 in Manaus.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Manaus $1,806

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 29% more expensive than in Manaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Manaus 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.74 R$30.91

90.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$25.62 R$138

69.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.47 R$34.83

82.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.19 R$11.81

73.97%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.99 R$5.33

29.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.73 R$3.94

6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.54 R$13.69

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.05 R$27.16

-2.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.32 R$7.09

6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.54 R$8.29

44.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.14 R$6.11

24.56%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.46 R$13.25

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.14 R$49.19

-20.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.82 R$20.53

101.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$6.70 R$36.04

89.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.23 R$12.02

24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.54 R$8.27

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.38 R$7.42

84.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.84 R$9.89

15.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.12 R$6.05

73.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.15 R$6.19

64.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.75 R$4.06

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.62 R$3.36

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.36 R$18.06

27.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.46 R$45.54

17.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.41 R$7.61

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.56 R$8.40

71.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.88 R$4.76

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$36.80 R$198

-27.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.92 R$4.94

440.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.87 R$4.66

282.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.99 R$48.39

-40.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.23 R$6.63

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.6K R$116.4K

-4.48%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$32.4K R$174.3K

-27.56%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$112 R$601

-24.08%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$14.44 R$77.7

62.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$23.86 R$128

20.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$25.68 R$138

122.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$23.54 R$127

22.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.41 R$34.47

-19.81%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$212 R$1,140

-2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,775 R$25.7K

-17.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$47.41 R$255

-8.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$29.69 R$160

39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$56.3 R$303

31.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$63.9 R$344

39.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$747 R$4,021

31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$299 R$1,607

27.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,121 R$6,035

52.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$451 R$2,428

138.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,543 R$8,302

155.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,257 R$6,767

389.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$491 R$2,641

49.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.33

10.84%

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 Manaus: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Manaus

$299 32.1% 21.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Manaus

$188 20.2% 26.2% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Manaus

$121 13% 40% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Manaus

$150 16.1% 9.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Manaus

$89 9.5% 20.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Manaus

$38 4.1% 42.8% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Manaus

$46 4.9% 9.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $747 in Manaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $26 in Manaus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $188 per month, with Manaus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,063,689

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Manaus 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Manaus

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 Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manaus is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 50% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $747 in Manaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Manaus – a meal for two runs $26 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Manaus wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.