Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vila Velha

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Velha: $919 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
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Vila Velha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Vila Velha

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $919 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vila Velha $919

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,502 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vila Velha $1,502

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,084 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vila Velha $2,084

Playa del Carmen costs about 31% more than Vila Velha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Vila Velha are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Vila Velha 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$8.96 R$48.70

21.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$37.54 R$204

15.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.43 R$40.38

58.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.17 R$11.77

75.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$1.28 R$6.96

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.53 R$2.88

47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.91 R$10.39

65.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.77 R$15.04

77.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$0.99 R$5.41

42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.46 R$7.93

52.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.82 R$9.90

-21.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.14 R$11.66

17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.41 R$45.73

-13.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.22 R$22.94

82.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.40 R$45.65

51.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$1.84 R$9.98

51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$0.90 R$4.91

52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.15 R$6.23

121.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.26 R$6.83

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.15 R$6.28

68.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.28 R$6.98

47.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.46 R$2.48

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.77 R$4.18

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$3.08 R$16.75

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$8.53 R$46.36

16.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.61 R$8.76

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.14 R$11.62

24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.95 R$5.19

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$48.54 R$264

-45.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.27 R$6.90

291.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.84 R$4.57

296.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$11.95 R$65.0

-55.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$1.13 R$6.15

27.43%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$31.5K R$171.1K

-34.33%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$30.4K R$165.3K

-22.81%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$108 R$584

-21.13%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$16.38 R$89.0

42.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$14.31 R$77.8

100.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$25.54 R$139

123.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$25.58 R$139

13.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$6.35 R$34.52

-19.06%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$397 R$2,158

-47.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$14.0K R$76.0K

-71.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$73.0 R$397

-40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$48.94 R$266

-15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$80.1 R$435

-7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$70.7 R$384

26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$288 R$1,568

239.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$236 R$1,285

61.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$545 R$2,965

213.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$544 R$2,957

97.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,970 R$10.7K

100.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,951 R$10.6K

215.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$391 R$2,124

88.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.33

1.06%

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 Vila Velha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Vila Velha

$236 25.7% 37.9% $144

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vila Velha

$184 20% 27.8% $71

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vila Velha

$142 15.5% 29.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vila Velha

$138 15% 1% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vila Velha

$123 13.4% 9.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vila Velha

$38 4.2% 43.2% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vila Velha

$58 6.3% 14.6% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $288 in Vila Velha. 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 88% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $38 in Vila Velha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $184 – making Vila Velha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

467,722

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vila Velha 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vila Velha

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 Vila Velha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, 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 $1,379 in Vila Velha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vila Velha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $919 in Vila Velha. That makes Vila Velha about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $919 in Vila Velha to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Vila Velha. 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.