Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $866 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $866
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,393 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,919 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Santa Cruz do Sul is about 28% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Cruz do Sul and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz do Sul 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$30.01

$10.67 MX$199

-48.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 R$197

$43.80 MX$815

-17.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 R$34.41

$11.79 MX$219

-46.56%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.70

$3.79 MX$70.5

-38.52%

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

$1.24 R$6.77

$1.30 MX$24.14

-4.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.59

$0.83 MX$15.51

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R$12.27

$3.15 MX$58.6

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$14.77

$4.93 MX$91.8

-45.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.94

$1.41 MX$26.22

-35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.34

$2.20 MX$40.86

-30.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.36

$1.47 MX$27.40

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.05

$2.50 MX$46.46

-11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 R$54.0

$7.29 MX$136

35.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$23.89

$7.95 MX$148

-44.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 R$49.69

$12.86 MX$239

-29.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.19

$2.90 MX$53.9

-23.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.40

$1.38 MX$25.74

-2.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.80

$2.49 MX$46.35

-50.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.06

$2.03 MX$37.77

-27.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.04

$2.02 MX$37.68

-45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.50

$1.90 MX$35.42

-46.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.32

$1.14 MX$21.30

-30.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.01

$1.24 MX$23.05

-40.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.45

$4.27 MX$79.5

-46.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.08

$9.81 MX$183

-25.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.95

$1.59 MX$29.51

-31.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.86

$2.75 MX$51.1

-27.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.14

$0.51 MX$9.58

84.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$7.20

$4.76 MX$88.6

-72.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.01

$3.25 MX$60.5

-77.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 R$41.99

$5.39 MX$100

42.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.53 MX$28.44

-20.26%

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

$21.7K R$118.5K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

2.28%

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

$32.3K R$176.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

38.71%

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

$72.7 R$397

$83.5 MX$1,554

-12.89%

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

$11.41 R$62.3

$23.19 MX$431

-50.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 R$112

$27.61 MX$514

-25.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.21 R$143

$56.4 MX$1,050

-53.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 R$36.79

$5.00 MX$93.1

34.80%

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

$520 R$2,839

$207 MX$3,854

151.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K R$124.8K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

336.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 R$252

$43.45 MX$809

6.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 R$290

$42.54 MX$792

24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R$514

$72.8 MX$1,354

29.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$400

$88.4 MX$1,645

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R$2,863

$995 MX$18.5K

-47.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,571

$382 MX$7,116

-24.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R$4,861

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-46.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$3,225

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-45.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 R$2,029

$832 MX$15.5K

-55.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.45

0.44%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 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

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 32.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 36.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 7.3% $8.8

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 71.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 28.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 67.4% $27

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 477% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $257 – making Santa Cruz do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

2 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Playa del Carmen 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,299 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul 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 Santa Cruz do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $524 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Santa Cruz do Sul about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $520 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul and $207 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Santa Cruz do Sul, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Santa Cruz do Sul 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 $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz do Sul. 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.