Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timbo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $717 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Timbo
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Timbo Living Index
57

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

Jump to prices

Timbo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$717

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $717 per month in Timbo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Timbo $717
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,165 per month in Timbo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Timbo $1,165
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Timbo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Timbo $1,614
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Timbo is about 40% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Timbo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Timbo 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 R$25.22

$10.67 MX$199

-56.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.83 R$201

$43.80 MX$815

-15.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 R$20.78

$11.79 MX$219

-67.68%

Cappuccino

$1.88 R$10.24

$3.79 MX$70.5

-50.40%

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

$0.99 R$5.42

$1.30 MX$24.14

-23.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.72

$0.83 MX$15.51

-18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 R$9.82

$3.15 MX$58.6

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R$11.93

$4.93 MX$91.8

-55.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 R$4.41

$1.41 MX$26.22

-42.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 R$7.81

$2.20 MX$40.86

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.41

$1.47 MX$27.40

-44.90%

Eggs

$1.67 R$9.12

$2.50 MX$46.46

-33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 R$41.77

$7.29 MX$136

4.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 R$17.70

$7.95 MX$148

-59.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.93 R$37.86

$12.86 MX$239

-46.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R$9.20

$2.90 MX$53.9

-42.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 R$3.68

$1.38 MX$25.74

-51.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 R$4.21

$2.49 MX$46.35

-69.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.04

$2.03 MX$37.77

-36.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.43

$2.02 MX$37.68

-59.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 R$4.09

$1.90 MX$35.42

-60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.44

$1.14 MX$21.30

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$4.26

$1.24 MX$23.05

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.46 R$8.00

$4.27 MX$79.5

-65.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 R$24.66

$9.81 MX$183

-53.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.59 MX$29.51

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.38

$2.75 MX$51.1

-30.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.16

$0.51 MX$9.58

84.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.54 R$227

$27.39 MX$510

51.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$4.76 MX$88.6

-75.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.23

$3.25 MX$60.5

-76.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 R$31.63

$5.39 MX$100

7.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 R$5.01

$1.53 MX$28.44

-39.87%

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

$21.4K R$116.7K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

0.75%

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

$25.5K R$139.4K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

9.72%

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

$52.5 R$286

$83.5 MX$1,554

-37.17%

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

$11.97 R$65.4

$23.19 MX$431

-48.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 R$117

$27.61 MX$514

-22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.49 R$134

$56.4 MX$1,050

-56.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 R$139

$28.19 MX$525

-9.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 R$30.13

$5.00 MX$93.1

10.40%

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

$225 R$1,229

$207 MX$3,854

8.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,629 R$14.4K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

-49.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.98 R$164

$43.45 MX$809

-31.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.59 R$200

$42.54 MX$792

-13.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 R$308

$72.8 MX$1,354

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.64 R$249

$88.4 MX$1,645

-48.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 R$1,857

$995 MX$18.5K

-65.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 R$1,260

$382 MX$7,116

-39.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 R$3,413

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-62.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 R$2,418

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-59.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,569 R$8,567

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-59.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 R$6,162

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-81.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,495

$832 MX$15.5K

-23.10%

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 Timbo: 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

Timbo

$231 32.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 65.8% $152

Groceries & Markets

Timbo

$148 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 74.1% $110

Eating Out

Timbo

$91 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 120% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timbo

$86 12%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Timbo

$76 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 46.6% $35

Getting Around

Timbo

$50 7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Timbo

$36 5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 87% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Timbo 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 run about 30% 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 $37 in Timbo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $257 – making Timbo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Timbo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h behind Timbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,099

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

Timbo Playa del Carmen 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Timbo
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,076 per month in Timbo 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 Timbo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $717 in Timbo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Timbo about 40% 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Timbo, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Timbo 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 $717 in Timbo to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Timbo. 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.