Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Redcliff

For one person, living is cheaper in Redcliff: $593 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Redcliff
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Redcliff Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Redcliff

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Redcliff

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Redcliff actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $593 in Redcliff, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Redcliff $593

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $983 in Redcliff, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Redcliff $983

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,373 in Redcliff, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Redcliff $1,373

Playa del Carmen costs about 103% more than Redcliff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Redcliff are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Redcliff 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$9.88 ZWL 263

9.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$44.28 ZWL 1,178

-0.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.60 ZWL 149

110.00%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.01 ZWL 80.2

22.26%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.98 ZWL 26.15

36.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.45 ZWL 11.90

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.28 ZWL 34.12

139.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

154.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.50 ZWL 39.83

-2.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.97 ZWL 25.86

128.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.73 ZWL 45.93

-14.45%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.91 ZWL 50.7

30.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.36 ZWL 302

-33.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.48 ZWL 146

45.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.51 ZWL 173

93.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.98 ZWL 79.2

-6.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.62 ZWL 43.21

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.99 ZWL 53.0

31.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.53 ZWL 40.66

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.71 ZWL 45.43

18.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.77 ZWL 47.17

12.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.28 ZWL 34.14

-10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.00 ZWL 26.63

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.03 ZWL 54.0

109.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.09 ZWL 215

23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.40 ZWL 37.16

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

34.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.95 ZWL 105

24.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

67.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$4.89 ZWL 130

10.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.87 ZWL 49.82

-22.46%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.6K ZWL 575.7K

-2.21%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$27.0K ZWL 719.6K

-14.89%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$50.7 ZWL 1,348

68.46%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$21.61 ZWL 575

8.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$69.2 ZWL 1,842

-58.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.16 ZWL 270

-49.80%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$429 ZWL 11.4K

-53.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,385 ZWL 223.1K

-52.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$23.04 ZWL 613

92.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$21.53 ZWL 573

92.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$39.43 ZWL 1,049

84.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$40.34 ZWL 1,074

122.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.69

-16.36%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Redcliff: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Redcliff

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Redcliff

$213 36% 17.4% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Redcliff

$148 24.9% 26.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Redcliff

$141 23.9% 3.1% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Redcliff

$56 9.4% 49.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Redcliff

$20 * 3.4% 71.9% $52

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Redcliff

$14 * 2.4% 72.6% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $44.00 in Redcliff. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $213 in Redcliff – so Redcliff wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇼 Redcliff

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

32,346

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Redcliff 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Redcliff

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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $890 in Redcliff. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $593 in Redcliff. That's a gap of about 103%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $429 in Redcliff. 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 Redcliff, where all-in costs run around $593, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Redcliff it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Redcliff – 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 Redcliff. 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.