Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Patos de Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Patos de Minas: $825 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Patos de Minas
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Patos de Minas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Patos de Minas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $825 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Patos de Minas $825

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,311 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Patos de Minas $1,311

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,796 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Patos de Minas $1,796

Playa del Carmen costs about 46% more than Patos de Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Patos de Minas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Patos de Minas 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$5.61 R$30.90

90.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$29.43 R$162

48.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$7.33 R$40.34

60.85%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$1.85 R$10.17

104.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$1.21 R$6.66

7.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.76 R$4.17

9.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$1.81 R$9.94

74.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$2.84 R$15.61

73.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.95 R$5.25

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$1.54 R$8.48

42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.20 R$6.59

22.50%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$2.01 R$11.07

24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.55 R$47.06

-14.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.92 R$21.60

102.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$7.88 R$43.35

63.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$2.12 R$11.66

36.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$1.25 R$6.86

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$1.07 R$5.89

132.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$1.47 R$8.06

38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.18 R$6.48

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.01 R$5.55

88.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.71 R$3.90

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.71 R$3.92

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$2.28 R$12.57

87.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.47 R$41.09

31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$1.22 R$6.70

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$1.89 R$10.43

45.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$1.00 R$5.51

-49.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$42.28 R$233

-35.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$1.18 R$6.50

303.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$0.78 R$4.29

316.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$7.28 R$40.09

-25.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.20 R$6.62

27.50%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$22.2K R$122.2K

-4.42%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$31.0K R$170.7K

-24.98%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$72.5 R$399

15.17%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$11.46 R$63.1

102.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$19.44 R$107

42.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$24.29 R$134

132.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$25.89 R$143

8.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$6.93 R$38.12

-27.85%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$260 R$1,430

-20.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$6,611 R$36.4K

-20.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$51.7 R$284

-15.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$46.22 R$254

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$82.3 R$453

-11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$67.4 R$371

31.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$334 R$1,836

198.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$231 R$1,272

65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$630 R$3,468

165.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$451 R$2,480

139.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$1,566 R$8,617

149.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$1,155 R$6,358

431.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$379 R$2,083

119.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Patos de Minas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Patos de Minas

$231 28% 39.6% $151

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Patos de Minas

$178 21.6% 30.8% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Patos de Minas

$112 13.5% 44.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Patos de Minas

$103 12.5% 23% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Patos de Minas

$111 13.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Patos de Minas

$38 4.6% 42.6% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Patos de Minas

$51 6.2% 1.8% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $334 in Patos de Minas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Patos de Minas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $178 – making Patos de Minas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Patos de Minas

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

159,235

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Patos de Minas 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $825 in Patos de Minas – Patos de Minas comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,238 in Patos de Minas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Patos de Minas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $260 in Patos de Minas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Patos de Minas, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Patos de Minas 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 $825 in Patos de Minas to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Patos de Minas. 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.