Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rio Verde

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Verde: $823 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rio Verde
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Rio Verde Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Rio Verde

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $823 in Rio Verde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Rio Verde $823

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,266 in Rio Verde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rio Verde $1,266

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,709 in Rio Verde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Rio Verde $1,709

Playa del Carmen costs about 46% more than Rio Verde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rio Verde are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Rio Verde 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.82 R$20.95

179.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$15.01 R$82.4

191.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.66 R$36.56

77.03%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.67 R$9.18

126.95%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.89 R$4.88

46.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.77 R$4.24

7.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.55 R$13.98

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.85 R$15.66

72.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.88 R$4.81

60.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.60 R$8.75

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$0.92 R$5.03

59.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.76 R$9.68

42.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.36 R$40.42

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.51 R$19.29

126.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$6.38 R$35.01

101.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.51 R$8.29

92.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.56 R$8.54

-11.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.76 R$4.15

227.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.89 R$10.40

7.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.07 R$5.85

88.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.48 R$8.14

28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.73 R$3.99

56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.71 R$3.92

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.60 R$14.26

64.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$9.51 R$52.2

3.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.90 R$10.44

-16.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.59 R$8.74

72.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.95 R$5.20

-46.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$42.39 R$233

-35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.24 R$6.78

283.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.99 R$5.44

228.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.71 R$31.36

-5.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.23 R$6.78

24.39%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$22.1K R$121.3K

-4.01%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$32.5K R$178.2K

-28.36%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$68.2 R$374

22.44%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$12.81 R$70.3

81.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$20.27 R$111

36.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$24.66 R$135

128.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$26.30 R$144

7.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$9.53 R$52.3

-47.53%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$394 R$2,162

-47.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,790 R$42.8K

-32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$53.7 R$295

-19.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$57.5 R$315

-25.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$78.6 R$431

-7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$91.7 R$503

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$337 R$1,850

195.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$230 R$1,264

66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$642 R$3,525

160.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$445 R$2,440

143.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,609 R$8,831

142.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,165 R$6,396

426.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.95

4.57%

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 Verde: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Rio Verde

$230 28% 39.8% $152

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Rio Verde

$173 21% 32.8% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Rio Verde

$96 11.6% 52.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Rio Verde

$101 12.3% 24.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Rio Verde

$127 15.4% 13.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Rio Verde

$44 5.3% 34.2% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rio Verde

$52 6.4% 3.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Rio Verde. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $15 in Rio Verde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $173 – making Rio Verde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Rio Verde

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

225,696

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rio Verde 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rio Verde

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 Verde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,234 in Rio Verde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio Verde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $823 in Rio Verde. That makes Rio Verde about 32% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $823 in Rio Verde. 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 $823 in Rio Verde to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.