Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rionegro

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,459 in Rionegro, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Rionegro, Colombia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Rionegro
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,459
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,459 in Rionegro, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Rionegro $1,459

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,176 in Rionegro, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Rionegro $2,176

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,894 in Rionegro, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Rionegro $2,894

Playa del Carmen is about 18% cheaper than Rionegro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Rionegro is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$8.26 COP 26.7K
29.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$47.27 COP 152.6K
-7.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$9.45 COP 30.5K
24.76%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.09 COP 9,964
22.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.84 COP 5,950
-29.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.43 COP 4,629
-41.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$3.06 COP 9,891
2.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$5.64 COP 18.2K
-12.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.43 COP 4,624
-1.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$2.49 COP 8,043
-11.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.75 COP 5,634
-16.00%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.91 COP 9,404
-14.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$9.91 COP 32.0K
-26.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$9.77 COP 31.5K
-18.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$13.90 COP 44.9K
-7.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$3.95 COP 12.8K
-26.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.51 COP 4,864
-8.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$2.11 COP 6,813
18.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$2.19 COP 7,075
-7.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.99 COP 6,420
1.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.58 COP 5,085
20.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.13 COP 3,658
0.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$1.25 COP 4,043
-0.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$3.98 COP 12.8K
7.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$13.51 COP 43.6K
-27.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.65 COP 5,329
-3.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.29 COP 7,403
20.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.07 COP 3,451
-52.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$65.0 COP 209.7K
-57.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.33 COP 4,302
257.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$2.05 COP 6,627
58.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$8.22 COP 26.5K
-34.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.30 COP 4,202
17.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$34.2K COP 110.3M
-37.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$34.7K COP 112.1M
-32.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$169 COP 544.6K
-50.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$13.21 COP 42.7K
75.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$28.88 COP 93.2K
-4.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$37.76 COP 121.9K
49.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$7.08 COP 22.8K
-29.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$790 COP 2.5M
-73.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$8,934 COP 28.8M
-41.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$85.4 COP 275.6K
-49.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$57.8 COP 186.7K
-26.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$139 COP 447.2K
-47.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$97.6 COP 315.1K
-9.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$707 COP 2.3M
40.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$478 COP 1.5M
-20.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,395 COP 4.5M
20.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$771 COP 2.5M
40.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,191 COP 7.1M
78.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,763 COP 5.7M
248.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Rionegro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10.94
4.66%

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 Rionegro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Rionegro
$478 25.1% $96
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Rionegro
$295 14.6% $37
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Rionegro
$171 14.6% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Rionegro
$211 57% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Rionegro
$171 53.5% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Rionegro
$52 21.9% $15
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Rionegro
$81 60.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $707 in Rionegro. 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 $47 in Rionegro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $295 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇴 Rionegro
🕒 Local time
18:11 6:11 PM
18:11 6:11 PM
Same time as Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
130,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Rionegro 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Rionegro

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 Rionegro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Rionegro?
Yes – Rionegro is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,188 in Rionegro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rionegro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $707 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Rionegro?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,459 in Rionegro. That makes Playa del Carmen about 18% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 58% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Rionegro?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,459 in Rionegro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?