Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Riva del Garda

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,704 in Riva del Garda, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Riva del Garda
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Riva del Garda Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Riva del Garda

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Riva del Garda

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 Riva del Garda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,704 in Riva del Garda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Riva del Garda $1,704

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,560 in Riva del Garda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Riva del Garda $2,560

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,416 in Riva del Garda, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Riva del Garda $3,416

Playa del Carmen is about 29% cheaper than Riva del Garda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Riva del Garda is 26% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$16.45 €14.69

-33.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$826

$59.3 €52.9

-25.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$13.44 €12.00

-12.50%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.8

$2.28 €2.04

61.40%

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

$1.34 MX$25.06

$3.45 €3.08

-61.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.41

$2.28 €2.03

-64.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.2

$5.55 €4.95

-44.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.2

$4.53 €4.04

9.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.46

$1.14 €1.02

28.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.39

$2.63 €2.35

-15.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.62

$2.72 €2.43

-45.59%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.50

$5.41 €4.83

-53.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$12.88 €11.51

-41.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$10.17 €9.08

-21.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$17.07 €15.24

-26.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.65 €1.48

68.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.66

$1.88 €1.68

-23.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.90

$2.64 €2.36

-0.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.92

$2.55 €2.28

-16.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.79

$1.90 €1.70

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.14

$1.58 €1.41

25.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$1.09 €0.97

4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.42

$0.23 €0.21

421.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.6

$7.92 €7.08

-46.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$7.88 €7.03

27.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.72

$1.10 €0.98

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.71

$1.14 €1.02

133.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.84

$1.71 €1.52

-69.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$514

$42.58 €38.03

-35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.6

$7.84 €7.00

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.2

$1.69 €1.51

102.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$30.81 €27.52

-82.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.05

$1.99 €1.77

-27.14%

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

$21.2K MX$395.3K

$36.1K €32.3K

-41.44%

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

$23.0K MX$430.0K

$34.9K €31.2K

-34.02%

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

$85.4 MX$1,595

$211 €188

-59.48%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$11.29 €10.08

107.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$531

$28.44 €25.40

-0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,162

$55.3 €49.34

12.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$536

$23.38 €20.88

22.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.4

$12.28 €10.97

-58.47%

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

$201 MX$3,756

$585 €522

-65.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.7K

$6,644 €5,934

-40.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$829

$90.1 €80.5

-50.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$773

$44.18 €39.45

-6.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,359

$145 €130

-49.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,674

$160 €143

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$724 €647

35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,963

$558 €499

-33.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.4K

$1,172 €1,047

43.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$886 €792

23.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.8K

$2,930 €2,617

34.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.6K

$2,045 €1,826

200.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$1,778 €1,588

-58.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.11

268.17%

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 Riva del Garda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Riva del Garda

$558 32.8% 49.8% $185

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Riva del Garda

$293 17.2% 13.5% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Riva del Garda

$259 15.2% 29.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Riva del Garda

$250 14.7% 82.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Riva del Garda

$198 11.6% 77.2% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Riva del Garda

$80 4.7% 10.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Riva del Garda

$66 3.9% 27.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $724 in Riva del Garda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Riva del Garda are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $59 in Riva del Garda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $293 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇹 Riva del Garda

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

16,926

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.68 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Riva del Garda 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Riva del Garda

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 Riva del Garda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riva del Garda is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,556 in Riva del Garda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Riva del Garda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $724 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,704 in Riva del Garda. That’s a gap of about 42%.

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

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Riva del Garda at $1,704. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riva del Garda it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,704 in Riva del Garda. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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