Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $661 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Teresopolis $661

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,120 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Teresopolis $1,120

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,580 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Teresopolis $1,580

Playa del Carmen costs about 82% more than Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Teresopolis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Teresopolis 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.55 R$17.99

205.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$28.21 R$143

56.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.95 R$35.23

69.21%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.76 R$8.95

109.09%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.41 R$7.14

-4.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.62 R$3.13

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.22 R$6.20

150.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.02 R$25.45

-1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.99 R$5.04

48.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.51 R$7.64

47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.37 R$6.93

8.03%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.01 R$10.19

23.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.11 R$46.19

-17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.45 R$17.49

130.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.16 R$41.36

54.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.87 R$9.47

48.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.20 R$6.09

19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.97 R$4.90

170.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.26 R$6.38

69.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.70 R$3.55

188.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.82 R$4.14

142.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.56 R$2.85

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.80 R$4.06

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.60 R$8.12

166.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.03 R$30.55

66.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.40 R$7.10

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.42 R$7.21

87.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.92 R$4.65

-42.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$35.82 R$182

-23.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.03 R$5.23

375.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.04 R$5.27

229.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$2.43 R$12.30

121.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.28 R$6.49

13.28%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$20.9K R$105.9K

1.30%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$30.9K R$156.5K

-25.44%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$29.33 R$149

191.03%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$23.98 R$122

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.63 R$94.5

52.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$29.64 R$150

109.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$20.16 R$102

42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.76 R$34.26

-24.56%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$145 R$737

38.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$2,629 R$13.3K

50.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$25.55 R$130

73.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$27.07 R$137

52.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$67.4 R$342

7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$47.75 R$242

87.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$360 R$1,824

172.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$158 R$800

136.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$533 R$2,701

215.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$398 R$2,017

175.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,181 R$5,988

234.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$489 R$2,478

50.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.67

7.31%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Teresopolis

$158 23.9% 57.7% $215

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Teresopolis

$172 26% 33.5% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Teresopolis

$95 14.3% 52.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Teresopolis

$72 10.9% 47.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Teresopolis

$76 11.4% 32.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Teresopolis

$43 6.5% 40.4% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Teresopolis

$46 6.9% 11.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $360 in Teresopolis. 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 51% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $28.00 in Teresopolis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $172 – making Teresopolis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

165,123

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Teresopolis 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Teresopolis

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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 82%, 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 $991 in Teresopolis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresopolis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $661 in Teresopolis. That's a gap of about 82%.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Teresopolis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Teresopolis, where all-in costs run around $661, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Teresopolis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Teresopolis – 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 Teresopolis. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.