Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Praia Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Praia Grande: $778 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Praia Grande
Learn more

Praia Grande Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Praia Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Praia Grande

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $778 in Praia Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Praia Grande $778

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,307 in Praia Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Praia Grande $1,307

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,835 in Praia Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Praia Grande $1,835

Playa del Carmen costs about 55% more than Praia Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Praia Grande are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Praia Grande 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.05 R$27.18

116.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$33.71 R$181

28.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.18 R$38.65

64.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.81 R$9.76

110.50%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.18 R$6.37

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.56 R$3.00

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.75 R$9.43

81.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.62 R$19.46

36.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.91 R$4.92

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.44 R$7.73

54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.93 R$4.98

52.69%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.72 R$9.23

46.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.26 R$55.2

-29.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$2.63 R$14.13

192.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$5.74 R$30.88

121.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.51 R$8.12

84.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.09 R$5.89

25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.11 R$5.96

129.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.18 R$6.34

79.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.23 R$6.59

57.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.16 R$6.23

62.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.54 R$2.93

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.77 R$4.13

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.11 R$11.36

103.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$6.81 R$36.64

46.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.94 R$5.07

68.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.40 R$12.90

11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.91 R$4.88

-39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$45.43 R$244

-41.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.02 R$5.48

387.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.67 R$3.59

397.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.85 R$42.24

-31.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.18 R$6.36

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.9K R$118.0K

-5.76%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$29.5K R$158.6K

-20.37%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$61.0 R$328

38.93%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$11.39 R$61.3

105.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$18.17 R$97.8

57.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$30.46 R$164

87.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$13.13 R$70.7

120.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.38 R$39.72

-30.35%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$111 R$595

86.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$7,752 R$41.7K

-49.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$60.4 R$325

-28.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$35.34 R$190

17.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$56.1 R$302

32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$72.4 R$390

23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$404 R$2,176

142.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$221 R$1,191

72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$740 R$3,983

130.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$553 R$2,975

94.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,414 R$7,611

178.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$4,692 R$25.3K

31.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$408 R$2,196

80.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.81

5.92%

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 Praia Grande: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Praia Grande

$221 28.4% 41.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Praia Grande

$160 20.6% 37.2% $95

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Praia Grande

$107 13.7% 47.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Praia Grande

$91 11.6% 33.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Praia Grande

$101 13% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Praia Grande

$45 5.8% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Praia Grande

$53 6.9% 5.8% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $404 in Praia Grande. 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 80% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $34 in Praia Grande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $160 – making Praia Grande the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Praia Grande

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

349,935

💱 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 = 0.166 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 = 20.98 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 = 0.166 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Praia Grande 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Praia Grande

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 Praia Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, 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 $1,167 in Praia Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Praia Grande, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $404 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $778 in Praia Grande. That makes Praia Grande about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Praia Grande, where all-in costs run around $778, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Praia Grande it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Praia Grande – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Praia Grande. 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.