Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Palhoça

For one person, living is cheaper in Palhoça: $872 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Palhoça
Learn more

Palhoça Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Palhoça

🇧🇷 Brazil

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $872 in Palhoça, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Palhoça $872

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,364 in Palhoça, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Palhoça $1,364

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,857 in Palhoça, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Palhoça $1,857

Playa del Carmen costs about 38% more than Palhoça, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Palhoça are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Palhoça 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$7.28 R$39.74

46.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$36.47 R$199

20.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.03 R$43.87

46.82%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.24 R$12.21

69.20%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.01 R$5.53

28.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.86 R$4.70

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.44 R$13.31

29.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.35 R$18.28

47.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.93 R$5.07

51.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.75 R$9.55

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.20 R$6.57

22.50%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.36 R$12.90

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$9.24 R$50.4

-21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.80 R$20.75

109.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.10 R$49.71

41.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.17 R$11.86

33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.97 R$5.28

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.00 R$5.49

149.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.47 R$8.04

38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.95 R$5.19

112.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.83 R$4.54

128.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.70 R$3.81

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.70 R$3.84

77.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.72 R$14.84

56.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.52 R$46.52

15.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.35 R$7.36

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.31 R$12.61

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.99 R$5.38

-48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$40.55 R$221

-32.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.22 R$6.66

290.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.76 R$4.16

327.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$6.29 R$34.36

-14.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.19 R$6.47

28.57%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.5K R$117.2K

-1.15%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.3K R$171.2K

-25.79%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$78.4 R$428

6.45%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$12.15 R$66.4

90.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.68 R$118

27.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$10.71 R$58.5

426.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$10.92 R$59.6

158.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.53 R$41.12

-33.60%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$353 R$1,929

-41.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$10.4K R$56.8K

-49.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$58.8 R$321

-26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$55.5 R$303

-23.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$88.8 R$485

-18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$64.0 R$349

38.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$337 R$1,842

194.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$241 R$1,318

58.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$674 R$3,682

148.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$422 R$2,305

155.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,706 R$9,316

129.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,137 R$6,208

439.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$560 R$3,056

48.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.54

-0.78%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Palhoça: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Palhoça

$241 27.7% 36.9% $141

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Palhoça

$187 21.5% 27.3% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Palhoça

$136 15.5% 32.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Palhoça

$112 12.9% 16.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Palhoça

$120 13.8% 8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Palhoça

$26 3% 61.2% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Palhoça

$50 5.7% 1.8% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Palhoça. 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 49% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $36 in Palhoça. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $187 – making Palhoça the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Palhoça

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

222,598

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Palhoça 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Palhoça

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 Palhoça: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,308 in Palhoça. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palhoça, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $36 in Palhoça. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palhoça, where all-in costs run around $872, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Palhoça it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $872 in Palhoça to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Palhoça. 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.