Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ponta Grossa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Grossa: $705 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Ponta Grossa
🇧🇷 Brazil
$705
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ponta Grossa

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $705 in Ponta Grossa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Ponta Grossa $705

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,124 in Ponta Grossa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Ponta Grossa $1,124

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,543 in Ponta Grossa, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Ponta Grossa $1,543

Playa del Carmen costs about 72% more than Ponta Grossa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ponta Grossa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Ponta Grossa 48% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$5.04 R$25.55
113.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$19.70 R$99.9
118.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$8.04 R$40.75
46.64%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$1.41 R$7.15
174.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$1.24 R$6.26
10.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$0.58 R$2.92
44.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$1.42 R$7.20
118.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$2.43 R$12.33
108.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$0.99 R$5.02
45.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$1.17 R$5.91
90.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.91 R$4.63
61.54%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$2.10 R$10.62
20.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$6.64 R$33.68
9.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$3.96 R$20.07
98.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$6.08 R$30.80
110.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$2.19 R$11.09
32.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$0.94 R$4.79
53.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$1.11 R$5.64
129.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$1.36 R$6.92
51.47%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$0.81 R$4.13
146.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$0.81 R$4.13
148.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$0.57 R$2.89
108.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$0.74 R$3.77
70.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$2.80 R$14.19
57.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$4.68 R$23.71
104.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.10 R$5.57
44.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$1.86 R$9.41
51.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$1.04 R$5.26
-45.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$31.67 R$161
-12.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$1.74 R$8.81
186.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$0.77 R$3.88
354.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$5.69 R$28.86
-5.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$1.24 R$6.30
18.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$18.7K R$94.8K
12.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$32.1K R$162.7K
-25.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$37.44 R$190
124.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$8.96 R$45.40
167.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$19.80 R$100
46.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$39.60 R$201
59.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$17.08 R$86.6
70.61%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$8.09 R$40.99
-38.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$159 R$807
27.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$5,156 R$26.1K
-23.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$43.53 R$221
0.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$33.67 R$171
28.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$80.6 R$408
-5.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$54.7 R$277
62.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$283 R$1,436
256.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$192 R$973
94.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$494 R$2,505
245.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$391 R$1,984
182.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$902 R$4,573
337.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$639 R$3,239
865.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ponta Grossa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$516 R$2,615
46.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.5
76.15%

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 Ponta Grossa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Ponta Grossa
$192 48.7% $182
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Ponta Grossa
$153 40.7% $105
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ponta Grossa
$101 50.3% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ponta Grossa
$66 51.8% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Ponta Grossa
$96 15.4% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Ponta Grossa
$56 23.5% $17
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Ponta Grossa
$41 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $283 in Ponta Grossa. 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 46% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $20.00 in Ponta Grossa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $153 – making Ponta Grossa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Ponta Grossa
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
12:08 12:08 PM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
358,371
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ponta Grossa 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ponta Grossa

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 Ponta Grossa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ponta Grossa cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,057 in Ponta Grossa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ponta Grossa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Ponta Grossa?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $705 in Ponta Grossa. That's a gap of about 72%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Ponta Grossa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Ponta Grossa?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ponta Grossa, where all-in costs run around $705, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ponta Grossa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Ponta Grossa more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ponta Grossa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ponta Grossa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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