Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Trancoso

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $775 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Trancoso
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Trancoso Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Trancoso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $775 in Trancoso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Trancoso $775

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,242 in Trancoso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Trancoso $1,242

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,708 in Trancoso, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Trancoso $1,708

Playa del Carmen costs about 55% more than Trancoso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Trancoso are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Trancoso 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$5.55 R$30.48

92.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$27.37 R$150

60.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$6.28 R$34.48

87.74%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$1.73 R$9.50

119.08%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.13 R$6.21

15.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$0.64 R$3.52

29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$1.84 R$10.08

71.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.71 R$14.89

81.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.01 R$5.54

39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$1.48 R$8.15

48.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.14 R$6.24

28.95%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$2.01 R$11.02

24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.20 R$44.97

-11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.70 R$20.29

114.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.54 R$41.38

70.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$2.13 R$11.71

36.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$1.29 R$7.10

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$1.19 R$6.53

109.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$1.45 R$7.94

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.14 R$6.26

77.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$1.08 R$5.95

75.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$0.72 R$3.97

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$0.61 R$3.35

103.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$2.08 R$11.39

105.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.68 R$42.14

27.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$1.18 R$6.50

34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$2.11 R$11.58

30.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$0.88 R$4.83

-42.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$39.01 R$214

-29.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$1.11 R$6.07

328.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$0.76 R$4.20

327.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.46 R$35.45

-16.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.05 R$5.74

45.71%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$21.0K R$115.3K

0.93%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$28.2K R$154.6K

-17.42%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$61.3 R$336

36.22%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$13.29 R$72.9

74.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$18.63 R$102

48.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$22.55 R$124

150.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$21.64 R$119

30.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$6.28 R$34.44

-20.38%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$285 R$1,565

-27.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$6,558 R$36.0K

-20.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$47.24 R$259

-8.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$43.04 R$236

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$76.5 R$420

-4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$63.2 R$347

39.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$309 R$1,695

222.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$215 R$1,180

77.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$582 R$3,195

187.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$435 R$2,387

148.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$1,463 R$8,026

167.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,033 R$5,667

494.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.92

4.85%

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 Trancoso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Trancoso

$215 27.8% 43.7% $167

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Trancoso

$175 22.6% 32% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Trancoso

$106 13.6% 47.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Trancoso

$93 12% 30.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Trancoso

$104 13.4% 6.9% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Trancoso

$35 4.5% 47.2% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Trancoso

$47 6.1% 5.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $309 in Trancoso. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Trancoso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $175 – making Trancoso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Trancoso

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

18,618

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Trancoso 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Trancoso

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 Trancoso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, 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 $1,163 in Trancoso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trancoso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $775 in Trancoso. That makes Trancoso about 36% cheaper.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trancoso, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Trancoso 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 $775 in Trancoso to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.