Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ubatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $790 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most 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 Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $790 in Ubatuba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ubatuba $790

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,256 in Ubatuba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ubatuba $1,256

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,722 in Ubatuba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ubatuba $1,722

Playa del Carmen costs about 52% more than Ubatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ubatuba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ubatuba 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.82 R$36.72

60.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$27.03 R$145

60.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.78 R$25.71

146.44%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.37 R$7.37

178.10%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.24 R$6.70

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.81 R$4.37

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.24 R$12.06

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.64 R$19.57

35.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.92 R$4.96

53.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.71 R$9.18

29.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.27 R$6.86

11.81%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.31 R$12.44

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$2.76 R$14.86

163.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$3.78 R$20.33

103.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.32 R$39.39

73.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.52 R$8.16

82.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.10 R$5.91

24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.11 R$5.96

129.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.31 R$7.02

61.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.14 R$6.11

70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.14 R$6.14

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.85 R$4.59

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.58 R$3.11

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.29 R$12.32

87.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$7.42 R$39.91

34.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.47 R$7.91

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.31 R$12.46

15.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.97 R$5.23

-43.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.09 R$5.88

355.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.71 R$3.82

369.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$8.10 R$43.61

-33.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.23 R$6.64

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$22.2K R$119.2K

-6.74%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$31.8K R$171.4K

-26.30%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$61.4 R$330

38.14%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$8.67 R$46.65

170.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$18.41 R$99.1

55.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$11.06 R$59.6

415.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$7.39 R$39.79

-30.45%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$414 R$2,230

-50.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$10.2K R$54.7K

-61.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$61.4 R$331

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$53.1 R$285

-21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$84.8 R$456

-12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$74.2 R$399

20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$366 R$1,970

167.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$275 R$1,477

38.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$735 R$3,956

132.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$562 R$3,023

91.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,656 R$8,914

138.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$352 R$1,897

108.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.81

5.92%

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 Ubatuba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ubatuba

$275 34.7% 27.9% $106

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ubatuba

$158 20% 38.1% $97

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ubatuba

$112 14.2% 44.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ubatuba

$88 11.2% 35.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ubatuba

$123 15.6% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ubatuba

$26 3.3% 61.6% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ubatuba

$8.5 * 1.1% 83.1% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $366 in Ubatuba. 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 2.1 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 $27 in Ubatuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $158 – making Ubatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

92,981

💱 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 = 0.166 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 = 20.98 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 = 0.166 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ubatuba 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ubatuba

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 Ubatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,185 in Ubatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubatuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $790 in Ubatuba. That makes Ubatuba about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $414 in Ubatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ubatuba, where all-in costs run around $790, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ubatuba 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 $790 in Ubatuba to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ubatuba. 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.