Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Richmond

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,453 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
Learn more

Richmond Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Richmond

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Richmond actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,453 in Richmond, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Richmond $2,453

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,549 in Richmond, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Richmond $3,549

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,646 in Richmond, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Richmond $4,646

Playa del Carmen is about 50% cheaper than Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Richmond is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$15.91 CA$22.68

-31.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$70.1 CA$99.9

-36.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$8.96 CA$12.78

33.04%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.33 CA$6.17

-12.24%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.93 CA$2.75

-32.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.50 CA$2.14

-42.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.34 CA$7.62

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$5.63 CA$8.02

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.17 CA$3.09

-32.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.14 CA$3.04

8.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.30 CA$3.28

-37.39%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.06 CA$4.36

-19.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$8.49 CA$12.11

-9.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$10.80 CA$15.40

-26.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$9.91 CA$14.13

29.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.57 CA$3.67

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.29 CA$1.84

10.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.55 CA$3.63

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$3.60 CA$5.13

-40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.12 CA$3.02

-8.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.79 CA$2.55

8.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.03 CA$2.90

-43.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.18 CA$1.68

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$14.05 CA$20.03

-68.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$12.81 CA$18.26

-23.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.07 CA$2.96

-25.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.17 CA$3.09

25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$2.04 CA$2.90

-74.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$72.7 CA$104

-62.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.84 CA$4.05

72.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.37 CA$1.96

156.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.31 CA$1.87

17.56%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$23.4K CA$33.4K

-9.43%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$18.6K CA$26.5K

31.91%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$131 CA$186

-35.99%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$32.78 CA$46.72

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$45.17 CA$64.4

-35.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$25.84 CA$36.83

151.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$2.36 CA$3.37

1148.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$11.93 CA$17.01

-57.33%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$792 CA$1,129

-73.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$10.4K CA$14.9K

-61.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$51.4 CA$73.2

-13.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$32.59 CA$46.46

29.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$92.0 CA$131

-17.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$116 CA$166

-21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,843 CA$2,627

-46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$1,421 CA$2,026

-72.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$2,799 CA$3,990

-38.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$2,328 CA$3,318

-52.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$9,724 CA$13.9K

-58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$8,013 CA$11.4K

-22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$3,072 CA$4,379

-75.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.77

140.04%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Richmond: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Richmond

$1.4K 57.9% 269% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Richmond

$295 12% 13.3% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Richmond

$258 10.5% 26.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Richmond

$209 8.5% 52.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Richmond

$131 5.4% 15.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Richmond

$50 2% 33.8% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Richmond

$91 3.7% 73.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,843 in Richmond. 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 305% higher in Richmond, 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 $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $70.0 in Richmond. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $295 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Richmond

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

198,309

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Richmond 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Richmond

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 Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Richmond is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,679 in Richmond. 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $2,453 in Richmond. That's a gap of about 102%.

Public transport costs about 165% 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 $1,215, than in Richmond at $2,453. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Richmond 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.

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