Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $782 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sao Luis

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 Luis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $782 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sao Luis $782

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,233 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sao Luis $1,233

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,685 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sao Luis $1,685

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sao Luis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sao Luis 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.96 R$32.07

83.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$36.79 R$198

17.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.45 R$34.72

82.64%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.10 R$11.31

81.43%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.18 R$6.38

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.63 R$3.37

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.89 R$10.18

67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.26 R$12.17

118.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.02 R$5.51

38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.77 R$9.52

25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.02 R$5.51

39.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.00 R$10.75

26.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$9.53 R$51.3

-23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.02 R$21.62

91.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.27 R$39.13

74.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.00 R$10.75

39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.28 R$6.87

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.12 R$6.04

127.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.63 R$8.76

30.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.28 R$6.89

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.21 R$6.54

56.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.79 R$4.25

45.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.68 R$3.67

73.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.21 R$11.88

94.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.57 R$40.74

31.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.19 R$6.38

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.16 R$11.63

23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.75 R$4.02

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$35.77 R$193

-25.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.94 R$5.06

428.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.81 R$4.34

311.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.18 R$6.33

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$21.9K R$117.9K

-5.66%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$28.7K R$154.4K

-18.21%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$89.6 R$482

-5.32%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$16.58 R$89.2

41.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$19.72 R$106

45.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$18.63 R$100

206.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$14.41 R$77.5

100.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.34 R$34.13

-18.93%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$174 R$934

18.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$2,700 R$14.5K

45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$59.2 R$319

-26.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$51.5 R$277

-19.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$71.6 R$385

3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$55.5 R$299

60.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$331 R$1,782

195.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$177 R$951

115.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$527 R$2,835

224.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$307 R$1,652

250.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,441 R$7,756

173.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$681 R$3,667

803.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$366 R$1,968

100.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Luis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sao Luis

$177 22.6% 53.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sao Luis

$184 23.5% 27.8% $71

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sao Luis

$113 14.5% 43.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sao Luis

$126 16.1% 8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sao Luis

$107 13.7% 4.2% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sao Luis

$31 4% 53.5% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sao Luis

$44 5.6% 13.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $331 in Sao Luis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Sao Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $184 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sao Luis 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sao Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, 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 $1,173 in Sao Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Luis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $782 in Sao Luis. That makes Sao Luis about 35% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sao Luis, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sao Luis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sao Luis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Luis. 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.