Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $817 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
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Volta Redonda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Volta Redonda

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $817 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Volta Redonda $817

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,294 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Volta Redonda $1,294

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,771 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Volta Redonda $1,771

Playa del Carmen costs about 48% more than Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Volta Redonda are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Volta Redonda 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.07 R$15.58

250.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$40.42 R$205

6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.74 R$34.16

74.93%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.49 R$12.63

55.42%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.44 R$7.30

-4.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.62 R$3.14

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.36 R$11.97

31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.50 R$22.81

12.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.01 R$5.14

42.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.93 R$9.76

15.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.23 R$6.24

19.51%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.39 R$12.10

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.84 R$34.65

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.26 R$16.52

141.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.03 R$50.9

27.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.17 R$11.01

33.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.18 R$5.98

22.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.98 R$4.96

160.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.05 R$10.42

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.47 R$7.43

36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.24 R$6.30

62.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.59 R$2.98

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.49 R$2.48

157.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$1.58 R$8.00

178.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.78 R$44.49

9.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.13 R$5.74

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.66 R$8.40

69.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.97 R$4.90

-41.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$35.59 R$180

-21.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.58 R$7.99

215.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.99 R$5.01

253.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$10.40 R$52.7

-48.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.23 R$6.25

19.51%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$24.2K R$122.8K

-13.35%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$33.7K R$170.6K

-28.98%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$96.2 R$488

-12.47%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$11.25 R$57.0

113.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$22.11 R$112

31.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$30.50 R$155

106.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.71 R$39.09

-35.93%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$149 R$756

36.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$3,034 R$15.4K

29.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$45.44 R$230

-4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$39.63 R$201

8.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$50.6 R$256

49.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$94.3 R$478

-6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$276 R$1,398

265.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$204 R$1,033

83.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$590 R$2,988

189.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$387 R$1,959

186.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$831 R$4,215

374.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$674 R$3,414

815.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$303 R$1,536

148.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.68

-1.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Volta Redonda

$204 24.9% 45.5% $170

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Volta Redonda

$185 22.6% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Volta Redonda

$104 12.7% 48.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Volta Redonda

$130 15.9% 5.6% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.7% 8.4% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 37% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 12.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $276 in Volta Redonda. 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 149% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $40.00 in Volta Redonda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Volta Redonda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

261,563

💱 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 Volta Redonda 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,226 in Volta Redonda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Volta Redonda, 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $817 in Volta Redonda. That's a gap of about 48%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Volta Redonda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Volta Redonda, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Volta Redonda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Volta Redonda – 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 Volta Redonda. 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.