Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $704 in Teresina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Teresina $704

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,155 in Teresina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Teresina $1,155

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,605 in Teresina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Teresina $1,605

Playa del Carmen costs about 71% more than Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Teresina are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Teresina 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$5.39 R$29.60

97.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$18.64 R$102

134.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$5.85 R$32.10

101.54%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.96 R$10.75

93.37%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.98 R$5.39

32.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.71 R$3.89

16.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.41 R$7.73

123.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.92 R$16.00

68.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.33 R$7.30

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.14 R$11.76

2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.39 R$7.62

5.76%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.94 R$21.61

-36.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$6.98 R$38.31

4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.87 R$21.26

105.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$6.18 R$33.91

108.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.74 R$9.55

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$0.85 R$4.64

62.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.88 R$4.84

182.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.20 R$6.59

69.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.06 R$5.80

90.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.88 R$4.86

115.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.50 R$2.77

128.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.41 R$7.74

-12.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.08 R$16.91

38.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.53 R$46.82

15.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.29 R$7.08

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.68 R$14.73

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.87 R$4.80

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$40.91 R$225

-33.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.50 R$8.23

217.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.78 R$4.26

316.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.73 R$36.95

-19.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.14 R$6.24

34.21%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$21.4K R$117.4K

-0.87%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$30.2K R$166.0K

-23.08%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$73.5 R$403

13.67%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$9.78 R$53.7

137.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$16.34 R$89.7

68.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$19.75 R$108

185.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$12.07 R$66.2

133.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$7.56 R$41.49

-33.86%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$538 R$2,952

-61.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$6,591 R$36.2K

-20.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$39.57 R$217

9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$27.34 R$150

55.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$71.3 R$391

2.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$46.07 R$253

91.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$152 R$833

555.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$142 R$782

168.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$386 R$2,121

333.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$395 R$2,167

173.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,248 R$6,847

213.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$701 R$3,847

775.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$366 R$2,011

127.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

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 Teresina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Teresina

$142 20.2% 62.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Teresina

$191 27.1% 25.8% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Teresina

$104 14.7% 48.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Teresina

$100 14.1% 25.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Teresina

$83 11.8% 25.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Teresina

$35 5% 47.5% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Teresina

$50 7.1% 1.3% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $152 in Teresina. 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 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Teresina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $191 – making Teresina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Teresina

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

866,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Teresina 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Teresina

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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,057 in Teresina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $704 in Teresina. That makes Teresina about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% 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 Teresina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Teresina 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 $704 in Teresina to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Teresina. 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.