Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio Dulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Dulce: $745 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Rio Dulce

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $745 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Rio Dulce $745

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,244 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rio Dulce $1,244

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,744 in Rio Dulce, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Rio Dulce $1,744

Playa del Carmen costs about 62% more than Rio Dulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio Dulce are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Rio Dulce 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$6.62 Q 50.6

61.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$50.7 Q 388

-13.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.63 Q 58.3

54.52%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.31 Q 25.32

14.50%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.15 Q 8.80

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.97 Q 7.43

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.30 Q 25.21

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.67 Q 35.71

5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.05 Q 15.67

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.98 Q 22.74

-26.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.06 Q 15.73

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.37 Q 18.13

5.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.44 Q 49.19

13.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$9.34 Q 71.4

-14.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$13.51 Q 103

-4.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.94 Q 30.11

-26.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.72 Q 13.16

-19.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.93 Q 22.36

-15.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.63 Q 12.49

24.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.53 Q 11.72

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.13 Q 16.27

-10.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.68 Q 5.16

67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.19 Q 9.10

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.13 Q 31.60

3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.29 Q 63.3

18.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.79 Q 13.69

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.69 Q 20.56

2.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$5.26 Q 40.18

-9.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$10.36 Q 79.2

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.39 Q 10.61

10.07%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$27.8K Q 212.2K

-23.60%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$25.6K Q 195.3K

-8.96%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$72.5 Q 554

15.16%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$28.64 Q 219

-19.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$46.66 Q 357

-40.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$6.36 Q 48.64

-21.38%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$337 Q 2,572

-38.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$6,807 Q 52.0K

-23.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$49.86 Q 381

-12.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$46.66 Q 357

-8.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$120 Q 913

-39.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$112 Q 855

-21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.62

-1.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio Dulce: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Rio Dulce

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Rio Dulce

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Rio Dulce

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Rio Dulce

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Rio Dulce

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Rio Dulce

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rio Dulce

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $51 in Rio Dulce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $281 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇹 Rio Dulce

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.55 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Rio Dulce 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio Dulce

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 Dulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,117 in Rio Dulce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $745 in Rio Dulce. That makes Rio Dulce about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $337 in Rio Dulce. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $745 in Rio Dulce to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.