Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Rio Grande: $1,204 and $1,234 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
Learn more

Rio Grande Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rio Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,234 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rio Grande $1,234

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,939 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rio Grande $1,939

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,643 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Rio Grande $2,643

Playa del Carmen and Rio Grande have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio Grande are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rio Grande 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$19.16 $19.16

-43.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$81.8 $81.8

-46.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.25 $9.25

27.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.49 $3.49

9.17%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.85 $1.85

-30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.51 $1.51

-48.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.97 $2.97

6.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.05 $5.05

-2.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.27 $1.27

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.05 $3.05

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.31 $2.31

-38.53%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$5.54 $5.54

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.72 $12.72

-42.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.38 $9.38

-17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$13.29 $13.29

-4.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.10 $5.10

-45.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.52 $2.52

-45.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.93 $4.93

-48.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.94 $4.94

-57.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$3.82 $3.82

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.24 $2.24

-15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.98 $1.98

-41.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.60 $1.60

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$11.85 $11.85

-63.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.81 $14.81

-32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$3.11 $3.11

-49.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.94 $3.94

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.53 $2.53

96.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.47 $1.47

126.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$42.15 $42.15

-87.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.18 $1.18

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$35.1K $35.1K

-41.12%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$28.0K $28.0K

-16.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$316 $316

-73.15%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$70.6 $70.6

-66.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$69.0 $69.0

-58.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$11.15 $11.15

411.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.81 $7.81

-34.19%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$806 $806

-74.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$12.3K $12.3K

-68.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$56.7 $56.7

-23.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$24.91 $24.91

66.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$89.9 $89.9

-17.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$49.68 $49.68

79.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

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$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.55

74.81%

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 Grande: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Rio Grande

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Rio Grande

$381 30.9% 49.4% $126

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Rio Grande

$261 21.2% 29.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rio Grande

$455 36.9% 233% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rio Grande

$100 8.1% 10.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Rio Grande

$27 2.2% 60.2% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rio Grande

$9.9 * 0.8% 80.4% $41

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 $82 in Rio Grande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $381 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇷 Rio Grande

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,467

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rio Grande 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio Grande

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 Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,850 in Rio Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $82 in Rio Grande. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $806 in Rio Grande. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,234 in Rio Grande, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,234 in Rio Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.