Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Branco and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $837 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index
57

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

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Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio Branco and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio Branco and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $837 per month in Rio Branco vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Branco $837
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,322 per month in Rio Branco vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Branco $1,322
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,806 per month in Rio Branco vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Branco $1,806
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Rio Branco is about 30% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio Branco and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Rio Branco 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 R$35.92

$10.67 MX$199

-38.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.93 R$131

$43.80 MX$815

-45.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 R$37.35

$11.79 MX$219

-41.98%

Cappuccino

$2.78 R$15.15

$3.79 MX$70.5

-26.65%

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

$1.33 R$7.24

$1.30 MX$24.14

2.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.94

$0.83 MX$15.51

-13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.25

$3.15 MX$58.6

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 R$15.67

$4.93 MX$91.8

-41.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.40

$1.41 MX$26.22

-29.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.68

$2.20 MX$40.86

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.47 MX$27.40

-18.37%

Eggs

$2.08 R$11.37

$2.50 MX$46.46

-16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R$47.30

$7.29 MX$136

18.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$22.30

$7.95 MX$148

-48.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 R$42.65

$12.86 MX$239

-39.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R$11.49

$2.90 MX$53.9

-27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.55

$1.38 MX$25.74

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$2.49 MX$46.35

-56.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 R$7.92

$2.03 MX$37.77

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.45

$2.02 MX$37.68

-41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.71

$1.90 MX$35.42

-44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.19

$1.14 MX$21.30

-32.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.88

$1.24 MX$23.05

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.78

$4.27 MX$79.5

-45.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 R$41.12

$9.81 MX$183

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.67

$1.59 MX$29.51

-23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R$10.72

$2.75 MX$51.1

-28.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 R$3.40

$0.51 MX$9.58

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.30 R$225

$27.39 MX$510

50.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.72

$4.76 MX$88.6

-74.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.36

$3.25 MX$60.5

-75.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.25 R$39.59

$5.39 MX$100

34.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$7.05

$1.53 MX$28.44

-15.69%

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

$21.9K R$119.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

3.26%

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

$30.8K R$168.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

32.40%

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

$71.9 R$393

$83.5 MX$1,554

-13.86%

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

$11.31 R$61.8

$23.19 MX$431

-51.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 R$107

$27.61 MX$514

-29.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.91 R$131

$56.4 MX$1,050

-57.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$28.19 MX$525

-7.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$37.35

$5.00 MX$93.1

36.80%

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

$260 R$1,420

$207 MX$3,854

25.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,586 R$36.0K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 R$286

$43.45 MX$809

20.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.99 R$257

$42.54 MX$792

10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 R$458

$72.8 MX$1,354

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 R$368

$88.4 MX$1,645

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 R$1,865

$995 MX$18.5K

-65.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 R$1,229

$382 MX$7,116

-41.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R$3,461

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-62.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R$2,448

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-58.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,585 R$8,653

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-59.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 R$8,223

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-75.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$241 R$1,316

$832 MX$15.5K

-71.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Rio Branco: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio Branco

$225 26.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Rio Branco

$180 21.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 42.7% $77

Eating Out

Rio Branco

$130 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 54.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Branco

$113 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 1.4% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Branco

$103 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 30.6% $31

Getting Around

Rio Branco

$49 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Branco

$38 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 76.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Rio Branco versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. 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 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Rio Branco versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $257 – making Rio Branco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

Same time as Rio Branco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,756

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio Branco Playa del Carmen 4,000 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio Branco
Playa del Carmen

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

Rio Branco vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,256 per month in Rio Branco and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio Branco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $837 in Rio Branco and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Rio Branco about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% 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 Rio Branco, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Rio Branco 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 $837 in Rio Branco to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio Branco. 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.