Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 37.5% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 46.9% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 45.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$7.76 R 130
52.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$27.73 R 464
52.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$4.95 R 82.9
117.17%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.92 R 32.09
80.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.94 R 15.79
54.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.71 R 11.83
26.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$1.44 R 24.08
111.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$1.64 R 27.45
169.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$0.90 R 15.11
52.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.98 R 16.49
90.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.48 R 24.74
4.05%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.18 R 36.46
14.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.16 R 120
20.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.54 R 76.0
90.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$5.50 R 92.1
100.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$1.49 R 24.91
84.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.41 R 23.66
1.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.33 R 22.24
40.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.35 R 22.63
60.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.11 R 18.55
69.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.09 R 18.24
106.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.97 R 16.32
10.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.92 R 15.32
16.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$2.43 R 40.69
70.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$4.80 R 80.4
115.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.45 R 24.20
15.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.68 R 28.07
47.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$1.69 R 28.27
-67.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$95.5 R 1,598
-72.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.67 R 27.88
92.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.59 R 9.81
320.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$6.69 R 112
-53.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.31 R 21.94
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$19.7K R 330.2K
55.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$24.8K R 416.0K
-3.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$130 R 2,170
-36.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$29.11 R 487
-23.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$33.48 R 561
-10.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$32.27 R 540
59.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$4.41 R 73.9
314.74%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$6.68 R 112
-25.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$92.7 R 1,551
115.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$2,503 R 41.9K
111.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$41.86 R 701
-14.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$19.21 R 322
105.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$83.9 R 1,404
-3.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$72.3 R 1,210
22.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$393 R 6,579
146.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$291 R 4,872
65.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$850 R 14.2K
87.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$596 R 9,979
98.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$791 R 13.2K
412.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$607 R 10.2K
974.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Richards Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$1,107 R 18.5K
-31.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
12.01
-4.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities