Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Richmond Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,769 in Richmond Hill, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Richmond Hill
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Richmond Hill Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Richmond Hill

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,769 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Richmond Hill $2,769

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,844 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Richmond Hill $3,844

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,920 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Richmond Hill $4,920

Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper than Richmond Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Richmond Hill is 103% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$18.10 CA$25.31

-39.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$70.1 CA$98.1

-38.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.56 CA$14.77

11.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.69 CA$5.17

3.25%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.79 CA$2.50

-28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.47 CA$2.05

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.87 CA$8.21

-46.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$5.58 CA$7.81

-11.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.74 CA$3.83

-48.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.71 CA$3.78

-18.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.16 CA$3.02

-34.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$4.46 CA$6.24

-43.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$10.95 CA$15.31

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.09 CA$15.52

-30.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$12.85 CA$17.98

-1.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.63 CA$5.08

-23.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.34 CA$1.88

2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.42 CA$4.78

-25.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.00 CA$5.59

-47.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.04 CA$2.86

-4.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.03 CA$2.84

-6.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.33 CA$3.25

-50.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.47 CA$2.06

-19.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$13.36 CA$18.69

-67.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.80 CA$17.90

-22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.83 CA$2.56

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.23 CA$3.12

19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$3.38 CA$4.73

-83.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$157 CA$220

-83.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.97 CA$4.15

67.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.08 CA$1.51

208.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$18.89 CA$26.42

-71.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.23 CA$1.72

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$27.5K CA$38.4K

-24.74%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$21.4K CA$29.9K

9.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$137 CA$191

-38.04%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$34.31 CA$47.99

-31.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$46.63 CA$65.2

-38.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$45.55 CA$63.7

25.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$17.78 CA$24.87

62.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.78 CA$15.08

-52.32%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$342 CA$478

-39.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

-63.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$44.38 CA$62.1

-2.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$38.78 CA$54.2

6.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$93.6 CA$131

-20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$103 CA$144

-13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,769 CA$2,475

-44.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,560 CA$2,183

-75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,550 CA$3,567

-33.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,169 CA$3,034

-50.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$6,499 CA$9,090

-39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$5,341 CA$7,471

15.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,159 CA$4,418

-76.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.55

151.65%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Richmond Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Richmond Hill

$1.6K 56.4% 310% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Richmond Hill

$344 12.4% 35.1% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Richmond Hill

$274 9.9% 35.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Richmond Hill

$218 7.9% 59.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Richmond Hill

$126 4.6% 12.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Richmond Hill

$67 2.4% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Richmond Hill

$179 6.5% 255% $128

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,769 in Richmond Hill. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Richmond Hill are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $70 in Richmond Hill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $344 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Richmond Hill

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

202,022

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Richmond Hill 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Richmond Hill

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 Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Richmond Hill is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,153 in Richmond Hill. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,769 in Richmond Hill.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,769 in Richmond Hill. That makes Playa del Carmen about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 83% 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 $1,204, than in Richmond Hill at $2,769. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Richmond Hill 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Richmond Hill makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.