Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio Claro, Trinidad And Tobago

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Claro: $894 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Rio Claro
Learn more

Rio Claro Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rio Claro

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Rio Claro

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $894 in Rio Claro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rio Claro $894

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,562 in Rio Claro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rio Claro $1,562

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,230 in Rio Claro, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Rio Claro $2,230

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Rio Claro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio Claro are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rio Claro 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$10.23 TTD 68.6

6.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$89.2 TTD 599

-51.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.93 TTD 59.9

31.91%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.06 TTD 13.79

84.95%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.72 TTD 4.84

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.61 TTD 4.06

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.74 TTD 11.70

82.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.87 TTD 19.23

71.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.51 TTD 16.81

-43.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.58 TTD 17.30

-13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.83 TTD 19.00

-49.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$4.34 TTD 29.10

-41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$6.76 TTD 45.36

7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.91 TTD 66.5

-22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.48 TTD 77.0

10.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.64 TTD 37.85

-50.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.03 TTD 20.36

-54.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.72 TTD 24.99

-31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.35 TTD 29.16

-51.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.19 TTD 14.70

-11.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.92 TTD 12.88

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.83 TTD 12.25

-37.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.41 TTD 9.44

-16.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$5.92 TTD 39.70

-27.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$19.38 TTD 130

-48.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.25 TTD 15.06

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.94 TTD 19.72

-9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.01 TTD 6.78

392.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.28 TTD 8.57

160.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$14.69 TTD 98.6

-63.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.12 TTD 7.49

28.57%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$36.5K TTD 245.1K

-43.43%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$40.8K TTD 273.6K

-42.46%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$91.0 TTD 611

-6.82%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$51.8 TTD 347

-54.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$56.1 TTD 377

-48.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$8.89 TTD 59.7

-42.18%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$399 TTD 2,680

-48.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$11.0K TTD 73.7K

-64.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$54.6 TTD 367

-20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$52.5 TTD 352

-21.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$144 TTD 967

-48.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$104 TTD 696

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.75

99.13%

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 Rio Claro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Rio Claro

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Rio Claro

$357 40% 40.2% $103

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Rio Claro

$153 17.1% 24.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rio Claro

$199 22.3% 45.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rio Claro

$160 17.9% 43% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Rio Claro

$18 * 2% 73.6% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rio Claro

$7.4 * 0.8% 85.4% $43

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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $89 in Rio Claro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $357 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇹 Rio Claro

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

35,650

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rio Claro 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio Claro

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 Rio Claro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,341 in Rio Claro. 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 $894 in Rio Claro. That makes Rio Claro about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $399 in Rio Claro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $894 in Rio Claro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $894 in Rio Claro to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.