Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ribeirao Preto

For one person, living is cheaper in Ribeirao Preto: $813 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Ribeirao Preto
🇧🇷 Brazil
$813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ribeirao Preto

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $813 in Ribeirao Preto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Ribeirao Preto $813

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,301 in Ribeirao Preto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ribeirao Preto $1,301

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,789 in Ribeirao Preto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Ribeirao Preto $1,789

Playa del Carmen costs about 48% more than Ribeirao Preto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ribeirao Preto are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ribeirao Preto 40% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$8.19 R$44.08
33.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$38.57 R$208
12.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$6.62 R$35.62
77.95%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$1.63 R$8.78
133.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$0.91 R$4.90
40.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.66 R$3.56
18.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$1.10 R$5.93
188.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$1.82 R$9.80
170.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$0.91 R$4.90
54.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.55 R$8.33
43.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.17 R$6.32
21.37%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.14 R$11.51
17.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$9.36 R$50.4
-22.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$4.22 R$22.70
82.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$8.33 R$44.82
52.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.50 R$13.45
11.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.27 R$6.83
7.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.48 R$7.95
72.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$1.92 R$10.33
10.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.26 R$6.77
53.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$0.98 R$5.29
92.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.07 R$5.75
7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.94 R$5.03
25.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$2.39 R$12.87
79.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$8.48 R$45.63
17.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.19 R$6.38
32.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.87 R$10.08
42.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.92 R$4.95
-40.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$49.77 R$268
-46.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$1.31 R$7.05
279.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.27 R$6.86
162.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$7.60 R$40.93
-29.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.17 R$6.29
23.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$21.9K R$117.9K
-5.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$30.0K R$161.3K
-21.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$76.4 R$411
10.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$11.12 R$59.9
110.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$17.23 R$92.7
66.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$19.55 R$105
191.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$23.08 R$124
25.26%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$6.43 R$34.59
-20.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$193 R$1,037
7.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$7,509 R$40.4K
-47.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$47.25 R$254
-8.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$38.28 R$206
8.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$79.1 R$426
-6.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$50.4 R$271
76.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$242 R$1,304
304.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$202 R$1,087
88.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$469 R$2,522
264.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$361 R$1,940
198.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$1,050 R$5,651
275.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$738 R$3,969
734.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ribeirao Preto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$559 R$3,006
31.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.38
-7.51%

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 Ribeirao Preto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Ribeirao Preto
$202 46.9% $179
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Ribeirao Preto
$195 23.3% $59
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ribeirao Preto
$120 40.5% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ribeirao Preto
$105 23.5% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Ribeirao Preto
$97 13.4% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Ribeirao Preto
$32 51.9% $35
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ribeirao Preto
$61 21.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $242 in Ribeirao Preto. 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 31% 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $39 in Ribeirao Preto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $195 – making Ribeirao Preto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Ribeirao Preto
🕒 Local time
21:56 9:56 PM
23:56 11:56 PM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
698,642
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ribeirao Preto 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ribeirao Preto

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 Ribeirao Preto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ribeirao Preto cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,220 in Ribeirao Preto. 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 Ribeirao Preto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Ribeirao Preto?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $813 in Ribeirao Preto. That makes Ribeirao Preto about 32% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 47% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Ribeirao Preto?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $813 in Ribeirao Preto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Playa del Carmen or Ribeirao Preto more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ribeirao Preto – 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 Ribeirao Preto. 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.

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