Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Santos and in Playa del Carmen: $1,150 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
59

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

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Santos vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santos $1,150
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,736 per month in Santos vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santos $1,736
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,322 per month in Santos vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Santos $2,322
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Santos is about 4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santos and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Santos 15% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 R$41.18

$10.86 MX$201

-25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 R$161

$44.21 MX$817

-27.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 R$36.19

$11.76 MX$217

-39.29%

Cappuccino

$2.75 R$13.96

$3.68 MX$68.0

-25.27%

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

$1.43 R$7.24

$1.34 MX$24.79

6.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.82 MX$15.24

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R$12.76

$3.06 MX$56.6

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$14.79

$4.94 MX$91.2

-40.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.47 MX$27.17

-25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.39

$2.22 MX$40.95

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.48 MX$27.32

-8.11%

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.49 MX$45.99

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 R$61.6

$7.52 MX$139

61.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R$24.63

$7.96 MX$147

-38.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 R$50.2

$12.57 MX$232

-21.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.69

$2.78 MX$51.3

-24.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.43 MX$26.37

-13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.07

$2.62 MX$48.37

-24.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.14 MX$39.49

-13.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$2.02 MX$37.38

-33.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.99 MX$36.74

-35.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$5.87

$1.14 MX$21.01

1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.20 MX$22.18

-20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.89

$4.26 MX$78.7

-44.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.46

$10.02 MX$185

-20.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.54 MX$28.41

-13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$9.83

$2.66 MX$49.17

-27.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.66

$0.53 MX$9.73

111.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.37 R$250

$27.51 MX$508

79.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 R$7.89

$4.90 MX$90.6

-68.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 R$8.16

$3.43 MX$63.5

-53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 R$90.2

$5.38 MX$99.4

230.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.31

$1.45 MX$26.76

-14.48%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

12.13%

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

$33.5K R$169.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

45.37%

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

$104 R$529

$85.4 MX$1,577

22.18%

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

$11.95 R$60.6

$23.46 MX$434

-49.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 R$111

$28.43 MX$525

-22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$147

$62.2 MX$1,149

-53.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.0 R$289

$28.68 MX$530

98.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 R$43.55

$5.10 MX$94.3

68.43%

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

$280 R$1,418

$201 MX$3,715

39.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$52.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

159.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$44.39 MX$820

24.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 R$186

$41.35 MX$764

-11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$485

$72.7 MX$1,344

31.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$307

$89.6 MX$1,656

-32.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,754

$979 MX$18.1K

-44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,148

$373 MX$6,887

13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,031

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-40.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,478

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-37.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,413 R$12.2K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-38.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 R$9,004

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-71.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 R$2,958

$738 MX$13.6K

-20.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

11.45

11.70%

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

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santos

$424 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 12% $51

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$219 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 17.7% $39

Eating Out

Santos

$147 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 35.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$138 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 0.7% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$112 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Santos

$63 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 18.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$46 4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 56.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Santos versus $979 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 run about 26% 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 $32.00 in Santos versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $258 – making Santos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

2 h behind Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santos Playa del Carmen 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,725 per month in Santos and $1,806 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 Santos, 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 $1,150 in Santos and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Santos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santos, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Santos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santos – 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 Santos. 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.