Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, Australia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,620 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,620

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Richmond and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,620 per month in Richmond vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $2,620
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,446 per month in Richmond vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $3,446
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,271 per month in Richmond vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $4,271
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Richmond costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Richmond sits 93% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.53 A$15.04

$10.92 MX$203

-3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$121

$43.37 MX$805

95.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.30 A$17.57

$11.78 MX$219

4.41%

Cappuccino

$3.49 A$4.98

$3.81 MX$70.7

-8.40%

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

$3.13 A$4.47

$1.28 MX$23.81

144.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.69

$0.78 MX$14.54

230.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 A$5.05

$3.17 MX$58.8

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.24

$4.93 MX$91.7

73.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.24

$1.41 MX$26.12

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.22 MX$41.17

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.83

$1.42 MX$26.32

88.73%

Eggs

$5.57 A$7.96

$2.52 MX$46.85

121.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 A$9.93

$7.26 MX$135

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 A$9.93

$7.70 MX$143

-9.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 A$10.06

$12.69 MX$236

-44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 A$5.76

$2.78 MX$51.7

45.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$1.37 MX$25.41

121.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.53

$2.55 MX$47.37

24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 A$6.61

$2.12 MX$39.43

118.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.25

$1.94 MX$36.00

53.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.68

$1.89 MX$35.02

35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 A$3.53

$1.15 MX$21.29

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.26

$1.18 MX$21.89

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$35.11 A$50.1

$4.30 MX$79.8

716.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 A$9.80

$9.95 MX$185

-31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.60 A$8.00

$1.58 MX$29.41

254.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 A$7.42

$2.67 MX$49.60

94.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 A$3.57

$0.55 MX$10.28

354.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.4 A$103

$26.62 MX$494

171.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 A$6.24

$4.97 MX$92.3

-12.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.03

$3.33 MX$61.9

-57.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.92 A$42.73

$5.36 MX$99.5

458.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.44 MX$26.82

0.69%

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

$29.8K A$42.5K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

44.03%

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

$26.2K A$37.5K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

11.80%

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

$236 A$337

$84.8 MX$1,575

178.23%

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

$28.28 A$40.39

$23.41 MX$435

20.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.1

$28.66 MX$532

95.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.82 A$68.3

$57.1 MX$1,059

-16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 A$23.75

$28.91 MX$537

-42.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.41 A$24.86

$5.14 MX$95.4

238.72%

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

$2,452 A$3,501

$207 MX$3,836

1086.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K A$43.6K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

678.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 A$116

$43.35 MX$805

87.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.65 A$70.9

$41.44 MX$770

19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$74.2 MX$1,378

62.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$89.3 MX$1,657

48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 A$1,769

$980 MX$18.2K

26.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 A$2,009

$381 MX$7,072

269.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 A$2,766

$1,708 MX$31.7K

13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 A$2,253

$1,075 MX$20.0K

46.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,307 A$7,579

$3,943 MX$73.2K

34.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,536 A$7,907

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-10.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.45

-48.47%

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

Last update for Richmond: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Richmond

$1.4K 53.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$323 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 21.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$320 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.3% $183

Eating Out

Richmond

$221 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$173 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.3% $61

Getting Around

Richmond

$94 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$83 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,238 in Richmond versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $85 in Richmond versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Richmond

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

23:23 11:23 PM

16 h behind Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,587

149,923

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Richmond Playa del Carmen 14,690 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Richmond
Playa del Carmen

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

Richmond vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Richmond is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,931 per month in Richmond and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,238 in Richmond.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,620 in Richmond and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 63% 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 Richmond at $2,620. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Richmond it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.