Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sao Joao da Madeira outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
59

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

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Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,510 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,107 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,704 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sao Joao da Madeira costs about 25% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sao Joao da Madeira sits 12% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 €8.95

$10.76 MX$199

-6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.60

$43.03 MX$795

-54.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 €6.98

$11.79 MX$218

-33.42%

Cappuccino

$1.14 €1.01

$3.87 MX$71.4

-70.54%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$1.37 MX$25.29

-20.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.84 MX$15.44

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.10 MX$57.3

7.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$5.07 MX$93.6

-57.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.44 MX$26.55

-40.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 €0.28

$2.23 MX$41.23

-85.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.47 MX$27.17

-22.45%

Eggs

$2.68 €2.39

$2.53 MX$46.71

5.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$7.30 MX$135

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 €4.91

$7.86 MX$145

-29.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 €5.79

$12.79 MX$236

-49.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.90 MX$53.6

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.44 MX$26.53

-6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.55 MX$47.07

-28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.06 MX$38.03

38.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.00 MX$36.97

-1.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.01 MX$37.07

-6.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.19 MX$22.02

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.26 MX$23.23

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.59

$4.40 MX$81.4

42.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$9.59 MX$177

-52.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.59 MX$29.41

-23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.81 MX$51.9

-41.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €1.99

$0.57 MX$10.47

292.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.68 €35.29

$27.82 MX$514

42.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.85

$4.98 MX$92.1

-13.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.50 MX$64.6

-49.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 €14.83

$5.40 MX$99.8

208.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 MX$27.08

29.25%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

57.63%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

57.53%

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

$110 €97.7

$84.2 MX$1,556

30.41%

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

$16.96 €15.08

$23.99 MX$443

-29.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 €40.99

$29.02 MX$536

58.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.44

$63.0 MX$1,164

-40.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 €13.42

$29.14 MX$539

-48.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 €4.84

$4.94 MX$91.3

10.12%

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

$341 €303

$204 MX$3,763

67.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,932

$3,941 MX$72.8K

154.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 €58.3

$43.60 MX$806

50.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 €33.42

$43.12 MX$797

-12.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 €73.5

$75.8 MX$1,400

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 €87.6

$88.6 MX$1,637

11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 €851

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$374 MX$6,911

105.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,349

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,035

$1,106 MX$20.4K

5.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,957 €2,631

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-25.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 €2,017

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-63.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,048 €932

$754 MX$13.9K

38.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

11.45

-69.00%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 51.3% $394

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 40.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 20.6% $36

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 37.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 11.7% $15

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 15% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 50.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,008 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 39% higher in Sao Joao da Madeira, 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $258 – making Sao Joao da Madeira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

6 h behind Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Joao da Madeira Playa del Carmen 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Madeira
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

Sao Joao da Madeira vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sao Joao da Madeira is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,265 per month in Sao Joao da Madeira and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Sao Joao da Madeira at $1,510. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Joao da Madeira it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Joao da Madeira makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.