Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Carlos and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Sao Carlos is 37.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sao Carlos is 23.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 38.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.6 R$25.55
$11.99 MX$227
-61.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.65 R$181
$42.47 MX$803
-23.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.78 R$37.65
$10.47 MX$198
-35.24%
Cappuccino
$1.74 R$9.68
$3.6 MX$68.2
-51.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$6.42
$1.44 MX$27.16
-19.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.89 MX$16.79
-29.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 R$8.16
$3.09 MX$58.5
-52.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 R$16.78
$4.58 MX$86.6
-34.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 R$6.04
$1.38 MX$26.04
-21.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 R$8.42
$1.85 MX$34.9
-17.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.57 R$14.24
$1.57 MX$29.68
63.69%
Eggs
$2.23 R$12.37
$2.55 MX$48.3
-12.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.55 R$53
$8.61 MX$163
10.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.17 R$23.13
$8.54 MX$161
-51.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.74 R$42.96
$10.98 MX$208
-29.51%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 R$12.94
$2.72 MX$51.4
-14.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.38
$1.51 MX$28.57
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$1.88 MX$35.63
-18.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 R$11.04
$2.19 MX$41.42
-9.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 R$8.47
$1.87 MX$35.3
-18.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.87
$2.19 MX$41.37
-43.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.9 R$4.98
$1.07 MX$20.23
-15.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.32
$1.09 MX$20.64
-28.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.1 R$11.63
$3.96 MX$74.9
-46.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.24 R$40.17
$8.86 MX$167
-18.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 R$7.07
$1.72 MX$32.53
-26.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 R$14.01
$2.61 MX$49.37
-3.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 R$5.17
$0.52 MX$9.74
78.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.89 R$121
$26.59 MX$503
-17.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.31 R$7.29
$3.24 MX$61.2
-59.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 R$5.34
$2.38 MX$44.94
-59.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 R$18.39
$3.11 MX$58.7
6.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 R$5.76
$1.31 MX$24.85
-20.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K R$161.3K
$30.3K MX$573K
-4.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K R$162.2K
$24K MX$453.6K
21.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.1 R$395
$84.2 MX$1,592
-15.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.76 R$81.9
$22.14 MX$419
-33.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 R$103
$30.14 MX$570
-38.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.55 R$114
$52 MX$983
-60.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.92 R$222
$18.72 MX$354
113.25%
Cinema Ticket
$4.22 R$23.42
$5.07 MX$95.9
-16.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R$1,707
$200 MX$3,787
53.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,678 R$14.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-49.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.58 R$259
$35.74 MX$676
30.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.53 R$203
$39.8 MX$753
-8.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 R$560
$79 MX$1,493
27.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 R$503
$88.4 MX$1,671
2.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$219 R$1,218
$965 MX$18.3K
-77.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 R$1,202
$474 MX$8,968
-54.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$439 R$2,437
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-73.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$486 R$2,696
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-59.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$693 R$3,845
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-77.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$850 R$4,718
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-88.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Carlos
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$828 R$4,594
$792 MX$15K
4.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
11.42
-6.57%

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

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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