Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,453 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Richmond

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,453

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/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 $2,453 per month in Richmond vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $2,453
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $3,549 per month in Richmond vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $3,549
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $4,646 per month in Richmond vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Richmond $4,646
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Richmond costs about 102% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Richmond sits 83% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 CA$22.68

$10.97 MX$201

45.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 CA$99.9

$44.85 MX$823

56.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 CA$12.78

$11.92 MX$219

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$4.33 CA$6.17

$3.80 MX$69.9

13.95%

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

$1.93 CA$2.75

$1.31 MX$24.08

47.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.14

$0.86 MX$15.72

74.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.34 CA$7.62

$3.21 MX$59.0

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$8.02

$5.01 MX$92.0

12.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.46 MX$26.77

48.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 CA$3.04

$2.33 MX$42.72

-8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 CA$3.28

$1.44 MX$26.48

59.72%

Eggs

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.46 MX$45.20

24.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 CA$12.11

$7.70 MX$141

10.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.80 CA$15.40

$7.89 MX$145

36.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 CA$14.13

$12.80 MX$235

-22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.67

$2.92 MX$53.6

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.84

$1.42 MX$26.11

-9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 CA$3.63

$2.57 MX$47.10

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.13

$2.14 MX$39.24

68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 CA$3.02

$1.95 MX$35.75

8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.55

$1.94 MX$35.55

-7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 CA$2.90

$1.15 MX$21.13

76.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CA$1.68

$1.22 MX$22.42

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$20.03

$4.38 MX$80.3

220.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 CA$18.26

$9.85 MX$181

30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.96

$1.54 MX$28.23

34.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$2.72 MX$49.86

-20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$0.52 MX$9.64

292.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 CA$104

$27.42 MX$503

164.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 CA$4.05

$4.91 MX$90.2

-42.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.96

$3.52 MX$64.7

-61.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.87

$1.54 MX$28.27

-14.94%

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

$23.4K CA$33.4K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

10.41%

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

$18.6K CA$26.5K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

-24.19%

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

$131 CA$186

$83.6 MX$1,535

56.23%

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

$32.78 CA$46.72

$24.03 MX$441

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.17 CA$64.4

$29.33 MX$539

54.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.84 CA$36.83

$64.9 MX$1,191

-60.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.36 CA$3.37

$29.46 MX$541

-91.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 CA$17.01

$5.09 MX$93.4

134.38%

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

$792 CA$1,129

$208 MX$3,813

281.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.9K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

158.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 CA$73.2

$44.55 MX$818

15.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.59 CA$46.46

$42.06 MX$772

-22.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 CA$131

$75.5 MX$1,387

21.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 CA$166

$91.4 MX$1,678

27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 CA$2,627

$986 MX$18.1K

86.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 CA$2,026

$385 MX$7,072

269.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 CA$3,990

$1,713 MX$31.5K

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 CA$3,318

$1,108 MX$20.4K

110.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,724 CA$13.9K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

142.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,013 CA$11.4K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

28.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 CA$4,379

$758 MX$13.9K

305.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

11.45

-58.34%

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

Last update for Richmond: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Richmond

$1.4K 57.9%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 72.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$295 12%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 11.8% $35

Eating Out

Richmond

$258 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 20.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$209 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 34.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$131 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 13.2% $17

Getting Around

Richmond

$91 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 42.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$50 2%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 51% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,843 in Richmond versus $986 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.

Salaries run about 305% higher in Richmond, 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 $70.0 in Richmond versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Richmond

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

2 h ahead of Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,309

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Richmond Playa del Carmen 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Richmond
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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

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

Yes – Richmond is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,679 per month in Richmond and $1,823 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,453 in Richmond and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 102%.

Public transport costs about 165% 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 $1,215, than in Richmond at $2,453. 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.

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