Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos: $1,037 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,037

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,613 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,613

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,189 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,189

Playa del Carmen costs about 16% more than Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sao Jose dos Campos are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sao Jose dos Campos 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.55 R$35.63

66.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$37.92 R$206

14.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.27 R$44.97

42.44%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.06 R$11.19

84.95%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$1.58 R$8.60

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$1.12 R$6.11

-30.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$2.54 R$13.81

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.12 R$22.42

19.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.16 R$6.30

21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.90 R$10.36

16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.10 R$6.00

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.58 R$14.01

-2.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.51 R$46.25

-14.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.23 R$23.02

82.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.17 R$55.3

24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.55 R$13.88

9.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.75 R$9.49

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.72 R$9.37

48.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.74 R$9.48

21.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.31 R$7.15

48.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.28 R$6.97

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.90 R$4.90

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.76 R$4.11

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$2.63 R$14.28

63.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$8.41 R$45.72

18.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.55 R$8.44

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.13 R$22.44

-35.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.10 R$6.00

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$36.63 R$199

-27.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.19 R$6.45

317.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.33 R$7.21

150.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$8.66 R$47.10

-38.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.23 R$6.68

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$22.4K R$121.6K

-7.56%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$32.0K R$174.2K

-26.78%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$40.81 R$222

107.77%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$13.39 R$72.8

74.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$17.24 R$93.7

66.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$27.28 R$148

109.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$32.55 R$177

-11.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.56 R$41.12

-32.01%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$404 R$2,196

-48.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$7,234 R$39.3K

-45.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$51.8 R$282

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$55.6 R$302

-25.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$90.2 R$491

-17.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$79.9 R$434

11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$476 R$2,586

105.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$403 R$2,188

-5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$845 R$4,594

102.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$666 R$3,620

61.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,986 R$10.8K

98.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,434 R$7,799

329.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$765 R$4,159

-3.98%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$403 38.8% 5.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$213 20.6% 16.2% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.9% 33.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$71 6.9% 47.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$125 12% 11.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$42 4.1% 37% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$49 4.7% 3.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 4% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $213 – making Sao Jose dos Campos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

697,054

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sao Jose dos Campos 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 16%, 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 $1,556 in Sao Jose dos Campos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $476 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos. That makes Sao Jose dos Campos about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Jose dos Campos costs $1,037 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.