Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Riobamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $575 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
Learn more

Riobamba Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Riobamba

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $575 in Riobamba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Riobamba $575

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $913 in Riobamba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Riobamba $913

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,250 in Riobamba, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Riobamba $1,250

Playa del Carmen costs about 109% more than Riobamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Riobamba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Riobamba 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.45 $3.45

214.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$15.74 $15.74

180.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.26 $6.26

87.86%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.47 $2.47

48.99%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.73 $0.73

83.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.74 $0.74

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.02 $2.02

51.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.07 $3.07

60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.97 $0.97

51.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.06 $2.06

7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.87 $0.87

70.11%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.75 $1.75

42.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$1.98 $1.98

279.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.26 $3.26

144.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$4.88 $4.88

157.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.77 $1.77

57.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.49 $0.49

191.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.37 $1.37

91.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.97 $0.97

120.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.83 $0.83

143.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.91 $0.91

118.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.43 $0.43

165.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.99 $0.99

21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.22 $5.22

-18.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.70 $5.70

75.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.53 $1.53

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.09 $3.09

-13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.27 $0.27

96.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$18.15 $18.15

51.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.28 $1.28

282.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.12 $1.12

206.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$11.03 $11.03

-51.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.86 $0.86

68.60%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$25.1K $25.1K

-15.77%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$29.8K $29.8K

-22.68%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$20.05 $20.05

325.74%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.90 $6.90

240.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$26.95 $26.95

5.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$24.93 $24.93

149.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$16.68 $16.68

71.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.71 $5.71

-10.68%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$80.1 $80.1

151.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,422 $1,422

177.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$50.6 $50.6

-12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$46.30 $46.30

-10.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$104 $104

-29.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$71.5 $71.5

25.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$115 $115

750.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$95.5 $95.5

290.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$225 $225

647.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$187 $187

486.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,193 $1,193

231.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$766 $766

700.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$335 $335

120.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.16

2.60%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Riobamba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Riobamba

$95 16.6% 74.4% $277

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Riobamba

$143 24.8% 44.7% $116

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Riobamba

$98 17.1% 51% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Riobamba

$54 9.4% 60.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Riobamba

$122 21.3% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Riobamba

$36 6.3% 49.8% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Riobamba

$26 4.5% 49.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $115 in Riobamba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 120% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $16.00 in Riobamba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $143 – making Riobamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

170,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Riobamba 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Riobamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $863 in Riobamba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Riobamba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $575 in Riobamba. That's a gap of about 109%.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Riobamba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Riobamba, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Riobamba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Riobamba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Riobamba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.