Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubatuba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $855 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $855 per month in Ubatuba vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubatuba $855
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,360 per month in Ubatuba vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubatuba $1,360
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,865 per month in Ubatuba vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubatuba $1,865
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ubatuba is about 29% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ubatuba and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ubatuba 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.59 R$38.48

$10.76 MX$199

-29.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 R$147

$43.03 MX$795

-32.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R$25.78

$11.79 MX$218

-56.83%

Cappuccino

$1.46 R$7.40

$3.87 MX$71.4

-62.27%

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

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.37 MX$25.29

-5.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.72

$0.84 MX$15.44

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.32

$3.10 MX$57.3

-21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$5.07 MX$93.6

-22.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.38

$1.44 MX$26.55

-26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.23 MX$41.23

-17.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.47 MX$27.17

-5.44%

Eggs

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.53 MX$46.71

-0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 R$15.06

$7.30 MX$135

-59.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.58

$7.86 MX$145

-48.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$41.69

$12.79 MX$236

-35.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.24

$2.90 MX$53.6

-43.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.44 MX$26.53

-14.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.97

$2.55 MX$47.07

-53.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.11

$2.06 MX$38.03

-32.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$2.00 MX$36.97

-41.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$2.01 MX$37.07

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R$4.74

$1.19 MX$22.02

-21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.26 MX$23.23

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.90

$4.40 MX$81.4

-42.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$9.59 MX$177

-15.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.59 MX$29.41

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R$13.27

$2.81 MX$51.9

-6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.57 MX$10.47

77.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.19

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.72

$3.50 MX$64.6

-79.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 R$44.27

$5.40 MX$99.8

61.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.24%

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

$24.1K R$122.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

14.79%

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

$32.8K R$166.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

37.09%

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

$66.0 R$334

$84.2 MX$1,556

-21.65%

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

$9.01 R$45.69

$23.99 MX$443

-62.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 R$100

$29.02 MX$536

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.94 R$60.5

$63.0 MX$1,164

-81.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 R$39.58

$4.94 MX$91.3

58.10%

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

$438 R$2,223

$204 MX$3,763

115.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

182.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 R$328

$43.60 MX$806

48.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 R$286

$43.12 MX$797

30.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 R$453

$75.8 MX$1,400

17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 R$405

$88.6 MX$1,637

-9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R$2,007

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-60.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 R$1,512

$374 MX$6,911

-20.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 R$4,135

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-52.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,102

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-44.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,797 R$9,110

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-54.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 R$1,952

$754 MX$13.9K

-48.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

11.45

-5.59%

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

Last update for Ubatuba: 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

Ubatuba

$298 34.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 25.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Ubatuba

$172 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 50% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Ubatuba

$131 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 13.5% $18

Eating Out

Ubatuba

$122 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 65.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubatuba

$95 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 44.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ubatuba

$28 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 165% $45

Getting Around

Ubatuba

$8.9 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 488% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Ubatuba 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 96% 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 $29.00 in Ubatuba versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $258 – making Ubatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

2 h behind Ubatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,981

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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Ubatuba Playa del Carmen 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubatuba
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,282 per month in Ubatuba 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 Ubatuba, 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 $855 in Ubatuba and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $438 per month in Ubatuba and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubatuba, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ubatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ubatuba – 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 Ubatuba. 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.