Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Suzano

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzano: $785 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Suzano, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Suzano
🇧🇷 Brazil
$785
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Suzano

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $785 in Suzano, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Suzano $785

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,285 in Suzano, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Suzano $1,285

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,785 in Suzano, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Suzano $1,785

Playa del Carmen costs about 53% more than Suzano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Suzano are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Suzano 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$4.88 R$26.63
118.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$33.41 R$182
31.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$5.91 R$32.26
99.49%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.14 R$11.66
77.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.27 R$6.96
2.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.87 R$4.75
-4.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.25 R$12.28
40.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$3.71 R$20.28
32.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$0.94 R$5.12
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.79 R$9.76
22.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.88 R$4.78
67.05%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$1.82 R$9.96
37.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$9.67 R$52.8
-24.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$2.99 R$16.32
165.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$7.29 R$39.81
76.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$1.51 R$8.27
92.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.50 R$8.19
-8.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$1.19 R$6.51
109.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$1.24 R$6.79
63.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.17 R$6.39
72.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.76 R$4.17
150.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.64 R$3.49
78.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.39 R$2.11
217.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$1.68 R$9.17
154.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$5.61 R$30.65
74.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.37 R$7.48
16.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.37 R$12.93
16.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.03 R$5.63
-50.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$44.02 R$240
-37.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.02 R$5.59
366.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.69 R$3.75
371.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$8.73 R$47.68
-38.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.03 R$5.64
48.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$21.6K R$118.1K
-1.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$26.9K R$147.2K
-13.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$38.41 R$210
117.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$13.90 R$75.9
66.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$21.18 R$116
30.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$24.19 R$132
133.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$27.61 R$151
2.10%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$6.61 R$36.08
-24.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$166 R$908
24.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$10.1K R$55.3K
-48.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$58.0 R$316
-25.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$51.9 R$283
-17.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$84.6 R$462
-13.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$74.1 R$404
19.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$293 R$1,597
240.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$224 R$1,224
70.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$650 R$3,550
157.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$454 R$2,476
138.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$884 R$4,825
342.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$815 R$4,449
653.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Suzano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$422 R$2,305
97.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
8
43.12%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Suzano: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Suzano
$224 41.4% $158
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Suzano
$166 35.3% $91
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Suzano
$110 45.3% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Suzano
$73 45.3% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Suzano
$121 8.6% $9.6
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Suzano
$37 43.7% $29
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Suzano
$53 4.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $293 in Suzano. 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 97% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $33 in Suzano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $166 – making Suzano the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Suzano
🕒 Local time
10:48 10:48 AM
12:48 12:48 PM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
307,429
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Suzano 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Suzano

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 Suzano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Suzano cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,177 in Suzano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Suzano, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Suzano?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $785 in Suzano. That makes Suzano about 35% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 38% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Suzano?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Suzano, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Suzano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Suzano more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Suzano – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Suzano. 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.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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