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Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Carlos

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 59.1% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 57.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.3% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 64.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$4.58 R$24.62
159.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$32.63 R$175
28.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$6.76 R$36.28
56.07%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$1.84 R$9.89
95.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$1.16 R$6.20
29.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$0.69 R$3.71
31.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$1.40 R$7.51
120.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$2.98 R$16.01
50.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.10 R$5.93
26.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$1.53 R$8.22
24.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$2.62 R$14.06
-38.93%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$2.30 R$12.37
13.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$9.62 R$51.7
-13.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$4.19 R$22.48
106.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$7.76 R$41.70
40.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$2.29 R$12.32
13.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.45 R$7.77
-0.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$1.54 R$8.27
27.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$1.96 R$10.53
8.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$1.56 R$8.40
19.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$1.28 R$6.85
73.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.95 R$5.09
7.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.71 R$3.83
46.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$2.06 R$11.06
96.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$7.86 R$42.20
29.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$1.27 R$6.81
33.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$2.46 R$13.23
6.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$0.94 R$5.02
-45.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$21.99 R$118
20.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$1.33 R$7.12
136.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$0.95 R$5.13
158.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$3.20 R$17.20
1.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$0.99 R$5.32
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$28.7K R$154.2K
4.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$28.9K R$155.1K
-17.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$70.4 R$378
18.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$14.91 R$80.1
53.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$18.51 R$99.4
62.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$20.53 R$110
152.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$40.20 R$216
-54.48%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$4.34 R$23.28
17.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$305 R$1,639
-34.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$2,755 R$14.8K
93.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$45.60 R$245
-21.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$37.58 R$202
7.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$101 R$545
-21.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$91.1 R$489
-1.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$223 R$1,195
325.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$220 R$1,184
119.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$445 R$2,389
259.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$473 R$2,540
155.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$695 R$3,732
475.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$849 R$4,559
654.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$631 R$3,390
15.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.67
7.03%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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