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 44.2% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 56% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 15.3% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 66% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$201

$4.38 R$21.82

165.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$742

$32.98 R$164

29.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$184

$6.74 R$33.58

57.27%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.3

$1.74 R$8.68

106.32%

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

$1.45 MX$25.21

$1.12 R$5.55

29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.58

$0.67 R$3.36

34.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.6

$1.42 R$7.06

113.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$79.2

$2.91 R$14.47

56.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.20

$1.09 R$5.45

33.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.72

$1.57 R$7.82

16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.92

$2.57 R$12.80

-37.35%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.05

$2.24 R$11.14

13.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$9.45 R$47.08

-9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$147

$4.17 R$20.75

103.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$189

$7.81 R$38.88

39.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.37

$2.31 R$11.50

18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.91

$1.46 R$7.26

2.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.73

$1.47 R$7.31

31.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.57

$1.89 R$9.42

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.05

$1.53 R$7.61

20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$38.00

$1.24 R$6.16

76.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.62

$0.89 R$4.45

20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.81

$0.72 R$3.61

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.5

$2.10 R$10.44

93.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$182

$8.29 R$41.31

26.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.71

$1.25 R$6.24

32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.23

$2.46 R$12.23

3.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.65

$0.87 R$4.31

-35.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$455

$21.75 R$108

20.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.5

$1.38 R$6.85

127.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$41.17

$0.91 R$4.52

160.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.2

$3.30 R$16.45

-1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.81

$1.01 R$5.01

29.70%

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

$30.5K MX$530.2K

$28.4K R$141.6K

7.42%

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

$23.8K MX$413.6K

$29.3K R$145.9K

-18.66%

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

$83.1 MX$1,443

$70.5 R$351

17.95%

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

$22.15 MX$385

$14.94 R$74.4

48.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$510

$18.22 R$90.7

61.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$889

$20.46 R$102

150.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$324

$39.83 R$198

-53.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.9

$4.15 R$20.67

17.83%

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

$199 MX$3,449

$311 R$1,548

-36.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$90.4K

$2,659 R$13.2K

95.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$624

$45.31 R$226

-20.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$684

$37.34 R$186

5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,394

$103 R$515

-22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,520

$91.2 R$454

-3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.7K

$222 R$1,103

334.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,370

$221 R$1,098

118.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.6K

$445 R$2,218

269.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.7K

$486 R$2,423

145.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.7K

$725 R$3,613

445.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$113.1K

$883 R$4,397

637.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.6K

$686 R$3,418

5.83%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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