Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $837 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Rio Branco

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $837 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Rio Branco $837

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,322 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rio Branco $1,322

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,806 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Rio Branco $1,806

Playa del Carmen costs about 44% more than Rio Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio Branco are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Rio Branco 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$6.58 R$35.92

62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$23.93 R$131

83.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.84 R$37.35

72.37%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.78 R$15.15

36.33%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.33 R$7.24

-2.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.72 R$3.94

15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.88 R$10.25

67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.87 R$15.67

71.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.99 R$5.40

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.59 R$8.68

38.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.20 R$6.54

22.50%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.08 R$11.37

20.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$8.66 R$47.30

-15.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.08 R$22.30

94.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.81 R$42.65

64.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.10 R$11.49

38.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.20 R$6.55

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.09 R$5.94

128.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.45 R$7.92

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.18 R$6.45

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.05 R$5.71

80.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.77 R$4.19

48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.71 R$3.88

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.34 R$12.78

82.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$7.53 R$41.12

30.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.22 R$6.67

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.96 R$10.72

40.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.62 R$3.40

-17.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$41.30 R$225

-33.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.23 R$6.72

286.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.80 R$4.36

306.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$7.25 R$39.59

-25.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.29 R$7.05

18.60%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$21.9K R$119.6K

-3.16%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$30.8K R$168.2K

-24.47%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$71.9 R$393

16.09%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.31 R$61.8

105.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$19.60 R$107

40.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$23.91 R$131

136.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$26.12 R$143

7.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.84 R$37.35

-26.90%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$260 R$1,420

-20.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,586 R$36.0K

-20.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$52.3 R$286

-16.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$46.99 R$257

-9.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$84.0 R$458

-13.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$67.4 R$368

31.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$342 R$1,865

191.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$225 R$1,229

69.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$634 R$3,461

164.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$448 R$2,448

141.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,585 R$8,653

146.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,506 R$8,223

307.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$241 R$1,316

245.34%

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 Rio Branco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Rio Branco

$225 26.9% 41.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Rio Branco

$180 21.5% 29.9% $77

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Rio Branco

$130 15.5% 35.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Rio Branco

$103 12.3% 23.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Rio Branco

$113 13.5% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Rio Branco

$38 4.5% 43.4% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rio Branco

$49 5.9% 2.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $342 in Rio Branco. 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 3.5 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 $24 in Rio Branco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $180 – making Rio Branco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

364,756

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rio Branco 4,000 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 44%, 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 $1,256 in Rio Branco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio Branco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $837 in Rio Branco. That makes Rio Branco about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio Branco, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Rio Branco 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 $837 in Rio Branco to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio Branco. 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.