Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Niteroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Niteroi: $1,003 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Niteroi
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Niteroi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Niteroi

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,003 in Niteroi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Niteroi $1,003

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,593 in Niteroi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Niteroi $1,593

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,183 in Niteroi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Niteroi $2,183

Playa del Carmen costs about 20% more than Niteroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Niteroi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Niteroi 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.07 R$37.82

54.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$36.70 R$196

18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.16 R$38.29

64.53%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.48 R$13.24

53.63%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.39 R$7.45

-7.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.93 R$4.96

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.28 R$12.21

39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.35 R$12.59

109.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.13 R$6.04

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.45 R$7.77

53.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.31 R$7.03

8.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.95 R$10.44

29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.59 R$51.3

-24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.03 R$21.55

91.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.03 R$42.91

58.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.44 R$13.03

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.64 R$8.77

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.71 R$9.14

49.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.79 R$9.57

18.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.24 R$6.61

56.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.97 R$5.21

94.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.63 R$3.38

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.64 R$3.42

84.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.32 R$17.78

29.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$5.95 R$31.82

67.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.22 R$6.54

29.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.89 R$10.09

41.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.99 R$5.31

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$44.85 R$240

-40.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.14 R$6.10

335.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.13 R$6.04

194.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.34 R$39.27

-26.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.14 R$6.09

26.32%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$18.7K R$100.0K

10.46%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.6K R$152.7K

-17.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$112 R$599

-24.29%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$16.22 R$86.7

44.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$18.22 R$97.4

57.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$34.66 R$185

64.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$30.93 R$165

-6.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$11.26 R$60.2

-54.35%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$493 R$2,638

-58.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,682 R$25.0K

-16.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$60.5 R$324

-28.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$40.55 R$217

2.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$101 R$539

-26.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$85.8 R$459

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$403 R$2,157

142.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$294 R$1,570

29.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$761 R$4,068

124.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$591 R$3,158

82.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,352 R$7,231

191.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,424 R$7,616

332.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$890 R$4,761

-17.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.7

7.01%

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 Niteroi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Niteroi

$294 29.3% 22.9% $87

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Niteroi

$187 18.7% 26.5% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Niteroi

$133 13.3% 34.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Niteroi

$146 14.6% 7% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Niteroi

$129 12.9% 15.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Niteroi

$57 5.7% 15.1% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Niteroi

$56 5.6% 10.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $403 in Niteroi. 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 21% higher in Niteroi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Niteroi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $187 – making Niteroi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Niteroi

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

481,749

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Niteroi 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Niteroi

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 Niteroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,504 in Niteroi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Niteroi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $493 in Niteroi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,003 in Niteroi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,003 in Niteroi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.