Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $712 a month against $1,203 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
Learn more

Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $712 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,203
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $712

A couple spends around $2,084 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,185 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,084
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,185

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,658 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,965
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,658

Playa del Carmen costs about 69% more than Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sao Joao da Boa Vista are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 MX$198

$5.10 R$28.10

110.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 MX$790

$20.73 R$114

106.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 MX$219

$8.29 R$45.65

43.06%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.3

$1.84 R$10.14

106.52%

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

$1.29 MX$23.80

$1.11 R$6.10

16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.23

$0.80 R$4.42

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$1.78 R$9.79

72.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 MX$92.2

$1.77 R$9.74

181.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.53

$1.03 R$5.64

44.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.85

$1.41 R$7.79

60.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.83

$0.88 R$4.85

59.09%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$2.17 R$11.93

13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 MX$134

$8.29 R$45.64

-12.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$150

$4.12 R$22.67

96.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.87 MX$238

$9.05 R$49.81

42.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$1.77 R$9.76

63.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.11 R$6.10

29.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$0.90 R$4.94

190.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.41

$1.41 R$7.78

51.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.80

$0.75 R$4.12

165.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.03

$0.74 R$4.08

155.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$0.71 R$3.92

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.84

$0.69 R$3.80

78.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.3

$2.49 R$13.69

78.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 MX$178

$5.57 R$30.69

72.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.10 R$6.07

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.63

$4.18 R$23.01

-35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.46

$0.79 R$4.33

-27.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.54 MX$491

$41.79 R$230

-36.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$1.05 R$5.76

356.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$1.22 R$6.71

169.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$99.7

$6.42 R$35.35

-16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.08

$0.91 R$5.00

60.44%

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

$21.1K MX$390.0K

$18.4K R$101.5K

14.41%

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

$23.4K MX$433.5K

$31.4K R$173.1K

-25.46%

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

$83.9 MX$1,552

$44.81 R$247

87.28%

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

$23.11 MX$428

$9.29 R$51.1

148.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 MX$524

$16.93 R$93.2

67.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$975

$25.04 R$138

110.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.94 MX$572

$26.99 R$149

14.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$91.8

$4.98 R$27.41

-0.40%

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

$203 MX$3,761

$389 R$2,144

-47.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,245 MX$97.0K

$6,929 R$38.2K

-24.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 MX$816

$51.2 R$282

-13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.37 MX$765

$52.9 R$292

-21.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 MX$1,366

$47.81 R$263

54.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,665

$53.4 R$294

68.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 MX$18.3K

$334 R$1,837

196.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,074

$178 R$980

114.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 MX$30.8K

$638 R$3,516

161.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 MX$20.1K

$449 R$2,474

141.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,942 MX$72.9K

$1,684 R$9,274

134.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,102 MX$112.9K

$1,164 R$6,409

424.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MX$16.8K

$616 R$3,392

47.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.12

2.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$178 25% 53.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$175 24.6% 32.6% $85

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$201 16.7%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$108 15.2% 46.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$135 11.3%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$71 10% 47.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 13% 17.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$63 5.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$35 4.9% 44.1% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$52 7.3% 4.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $334 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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 47% 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 $21 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $175 – making Sao Joao da Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

92,547

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.51 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sao Joao da Boa Vista 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,805 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,067 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $988 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,203 in Playa del Carmen and $712 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. That makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,203. In Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 $712 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista to $1,203 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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.