Cost of Living Comparison Between Richards Bay and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Richards Bay and Playa del Carmen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Richards Bay is 17% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 18.5% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Richards Bay is 2.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.7 RΒ 137
$11.99 MX$227
-35.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.83 RΒ 495
$42.47 MX$803
-34.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.09 RΒ 90.4
$10.47 MX$198
-51.38%
Cappuccino
$1.92 RΒ 34.22
$3.6 MX$68.2
-46.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 RΒ 16.62
$1.44 MX$27.16
-35.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 RΒ 11.76
$0.89 MX$16.79
-25.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.39 RΒ 24.71
$3.09 MX$58.5
-55.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 RΒ 30.43
$4.58 MX$86.6
-62.66%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 RΒ 17.41
$1.38 MX$26.04
-28.99%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 RΒ 17.52
$1.85 MX$34.9
-46.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 RΒ 25.19
$1.57 MX$29.68
-9.55%
Eggs
$2.2 RΒ 39.13
$2.55 MX$48.3
-13.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.54 RΒ 134
$8.61 MX$163
-12.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.43 RΒ 78.9
$8.54 MX$161
-48.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.27 RΒ 93.8
$10.98 MX$208
-52.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 RΒ 26.83
$2.72 MX$51.4
-44.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 RΒ 25.01
$1.51 MX$28.57
-6.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.32 RΒ 23.4
$1.88 MX$35.63
-29.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 RΒ 24.31
$2.19 MX$41.42
-37.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 RΒ 20.18
$1.87 MX$35.3
-39.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 RΒ 19.06
$2.19 MX$41.37
-51.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 RΒ 18.12
$1.07 MX$20.23
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 RΒ 16.17
$1.09 MX$20.64
-16.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 RΒ 41.96
$3.96 MX$74.9
-40.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.71 RΒ 83.8
$8.86 MX$167
-46.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 RΒ 26.16
$1.72 MX$32.53
-14.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 RΒ 29.78
$2.61 MX$49.37
-36.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.72 RΒ 102
$0.52 MX$9.74
1000.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.3 RΒ 1,713
$26.59 MX$503
262.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 RΒ 30.33
$3.24 MX$61.2
-47.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 RΒ 10.91
$2.38 MX$44.94
-74.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.67 RΒ 119
$3.11 MX$58.7
114.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 RΒ 23.48
$1.31 MX$24.85
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.8K RΒ 352.1K
$30.3K MX$573K
-34.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K RΒ 439.7K
$24K MX$453.6K
3.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 RΒ 2,338
$84.2 MX$1,592
56.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.54 RΒ 525
$22.14 MX$419
33.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.15 RΒ 607
$30.14 MX$570
13.30%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.64 RΒ 581
$52 MX$983
-37.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.41 RΒ 78.4
$18.72 MX$354
-76.44%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87 RΒ 122
$5.07 MX$95.9
35.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.8 RΒ 1,615
$200 MX$3,787
-54.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,495 RΒ 44.4K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-53.21%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.51 RΒ 738
$35.74 MX$676
16.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.96 RΒ 337
$39.8 MX$753
-52.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.1 RΒ 1,530
$79 MX$1,493
8.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 RΒ 1,311
$88.4 MX$1,671
-16.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$385 RΒ 6,843
$965 MX$18.3K
-60.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 RΒ 5,194
$474 MX$8,968
-38.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$824 RΒ 14.7K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-50.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$603 RΒ 10.7K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-49.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$294 RΒ 5,232
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-90.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$545 RΒ 9,691
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-92.76%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Richards Bay
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,054 RΒ 18.7K
$792 MX$15K
33.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.42
5.17%

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

Last update for Richards Bay: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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