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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 57.1% more expensive than Sao Luis without rent, and 60.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 59.1% more expensive than Sao Luis without rent, and 93.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.80 R$25.22
146.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$30.14 R$158
39.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$7.36 R$38.65
46.06%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.13 R$11.20
62.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$1.01 R$5.28
43.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.55 R$2.88
63.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.87 R$9.79
63.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$3.19 R$16.74
38.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$0.98 R$5.14
39.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.91 R$10.02
-2.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.01 R$5.31
52.48%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.94 R$10.19
28.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$9.00 R$47.27
-4.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.70 R$19.44
133.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$7.39 R$38.81
49.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$1.97 R$10.33
39.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.28 R$6.70
11.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.94 R$4.92
98.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.40 R$7.37
55.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.13 R$5.91
66.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.19 R$6.23
89.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.74 R$3.90
44.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.57 R$2.99
87.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$2.01 R$10.58
106.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$7.89 R$41.41
31.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.10 R$5.76
52.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.89 R$9.90
31.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.72 R$3.79
-23.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$34.78 R$183
-23.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.86 R$4.51
274.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.50 R$2.62
396.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$6.38 R$33.49
-51.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$0.95 R$5.00
32.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$16.8K R$88.1K
82.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$25.7K R$134.9K
-6.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$85.4 R$448
-3.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$17.41 R$91.4
28.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$16.44 R$86.3
82.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$18.54 R$97.4
177.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$15.12 R$79.4
20.97%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.09 R$31.99
-18.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$203 R$1,068
-1.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$4,283 R$22.5K
23.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$44.14 R$232
-19.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$47.58 R$250
-16.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$54.0 R$284
49.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$54.2 R$285
62.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$395 R$2,076
145.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$214 R$1,124
125.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$522 R$2,740
205.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$300 R$1,577
294.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$1,509 R$7,920
168.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$697 R$3,661
835.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$373 R$1,957
102.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.92
4.58%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: March 1, 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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