Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio das Ostras

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $720 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
Learn more

Rio das Ostras Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 das Ostras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $720 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rio das Ostras $720

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,206 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Rio das Ostras $1,206

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,693 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Rio das Ostras $1,693

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Rio das Ostras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio das Ostras are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Rio das Ostras 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.11 R$30.99

77.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.93 R$152

47.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.91 R$35.02

70.19%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.77 R$8.99

107.91%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.33 R$6.73

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.62 R$3.13

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.21 R$6.16

152.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.03 R$15.37

63.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.95 R$4.84

54.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.56 R$7.91

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.25 R$6.34

18.40%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.95 R$9.88

27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.04 R$40.76

-6.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.49 R$17.68

128.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.56 R$43.40

46.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.95 R$9.87

42.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.21 R$6.14

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.93 R$4.74

181.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.27 R$6.45

68.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.71 R$3.59

184.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.81 R$4.09

145.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.57 R$2.91

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.72 R$3.67

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.27 R$11.53

87.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.18 R$46.51

9.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.11 R$10.69

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.44 R$7.28

84.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$1.02 R$5.18

-48.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$43.98 R$223

-37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.37 R$6.95

257.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.76 R$3.87

351.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$8.02 R$40.63

-32.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.17 R$5.93

23.93%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.1K R$106.8K

0.39%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$31.3K R$158.8K

-26.53%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$69.9 R$354

22.15%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.00 R$50.7

134.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.83 R$95.5

50.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$23.61 R$120

163.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$27.53 R$140

4.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.75 R$34.23

-24.44%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$327 R$1,658

-38.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,611 R$38.6K

-48.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$56.6 R$287

-21.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$28.31 R$144

46.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$66.8 R$338

8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$48.51 R$246

84.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$198 R$1,004

394.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$151 R$766

146.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$529 R$2,682

217.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$400 R$2,029

173.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,730 R$8,770

128.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,223 R$6,198

401.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$542 R$2,748

36.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Rio das Ostras

$151 21% 59.4% $222

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Rio das Ostras

$179 24.8% 30.8% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.4% 44.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rio das Ostras

$99 13.7% 28.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.5% 19.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2% 48.7% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Rio das Ostras

$53 7.4% 3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $198 in Rio das Ostras. 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 36% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $30.00 in Rio das Ostras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $179 – making Rio das Ostras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

156,491

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rio das Ostras 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio das Ostras

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 das Ostras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, 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 $1,080 in Rio das Ostras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio das Ostras, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $720 in Rio das Ostras. That's a gap of about 67%.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Rio das Ostras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio das Ostras, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Rio das Ostras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio das Ostras – 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 Rio das Ostras. 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.