Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,150 in Richmond, KY, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Richmond, KY
🇺🇸 United States
$2,150
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Richmond, KY 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, KY and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,150 per month in Richmond, KY vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Richmond, KY $2,150
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,160 per month in Richmond, KY vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Richmond, KY $3,160
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,170 per month in Richmond, KY vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Richmond, KY $4,170
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Richmond, KY costs about 79% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Richmond, KY sits 59% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.20 $10.20
$10.86 MX$201
-6.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.35 $39.35
$44.21 MX$817
-10.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.79 $7.79
$11.76 MX$217
-33.76%
Cappuccino
$5.30 $5.30
$3.68 MX$68.0
44.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$1.34 MX$24.79
111.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 $2.76
$0.82 MX$15.24
236.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 $6.33
$3.06 MX$56.6
106.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.62 $6.62
$4.94 MX$91.2
34.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.47 MX$27.17
-25.85%
White Bread (500g)
$3.41 $3.41
$2.22 MX$40.95
53.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$1.48 MX$27.32
219.59%
Eggs
$4.33 $4.33
$2.49 MX$45.99
73.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.16 $10.16
$7.52 MX$139
35.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 $9.32
$7.96 MX$147
17.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.21 $15.21
$12.57 MX$232
21.00%
Apples (1kg)
$6.75 $6.75
$2.78 MX$51.3
142.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.43 MX$26.37
9.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.75 $2.75
$2.62 MX$48.37
4.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$2.14 MX$39.49
157.01%
Potato (1kg)
$2.23 $2.23
$2.02 MX$37.38
10.40%
Onion (1kg)
$4.31 $4.31
$1.99 MX$36.74
116.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.14 MX$21.01
98.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.20 MX$22.18
81.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.18 $9.18
$4.26 MX$78.7
115.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.96 $14.96
$10.02 MX$185
49.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$1.54 MX$28.41
25.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 $3.09
$2.66 MX$49.17
16.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 $1.03
$0.53 MX$9.73
94.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.06 $5.06
$4.90 MX$90.6
3.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 $1.57
$3.43 MX$63.5
-54.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.11 $30.11
$5.38 MX$99.4
459.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.45 MX$26.76
-34.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K $28.3K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
33.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K $26.7K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
15.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 $217
$85.4 MX$1,577
153.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.2 $72.2
$23.46 MX$434
207.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.9 $53.9
$28.43 MX$525
89.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.42 $35.42
$62.2 MX$1,149
-43.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.52 $13.52
$5.10 MX$94.3
165.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,227 $1,227
$201 MX$3,715
510.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.6K $24.6K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
522.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.5 $50.5
$44.39 MX$820
13.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.12 $44.12
$41.35 MX$764
6.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 $110
$72.7 MX$1,344
51.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 $123
$89.6 MX$1,656
37.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 $1,160
$979 MX$18.1K
18.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$963 $963
$373 MX$6,887
158.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,038 $2,038
$1,681 MX$31.1K
21.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,733 $1,733
$1,095 MX$20.2K
58.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,969 $1,969
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-50.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,983 $1,983
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-67.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Richmond, KY
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,036 $3,036
$738 MX$13.6K
311.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
11.45
-42.01%

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

Last update for Richmond, KY: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Richmond, KY
$963
Playa del Carmen
$373 61.3% $590
Groceries & Markets
Richmond, KY
$382
Playa del Carmen
$258 32.3% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Richmond, KY
$343
Playa del Carmen
$137 60% $206
Eating Out
Richmond, KY
$236
Playa del Carmen
$200 15.1% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Richmond, KY
$148
Playa del Carmen
$112 24.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Richmond, KY
$62
Playa del Carmen
$72 15.9% $9.9
Getting Around
Richmond, KY
$17 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 204% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,160 in Richmond, KY versus $979 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 312% higher in Richmond, KY, 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 $39.00 in Richmond, KY versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Richmond, KY vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Richmond, KY
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
02:39 2:39 AM
01:39 1:39 AM
1 h behind Richmond, KY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
226,610
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Richmond, KY Playa del Carmen 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Richmond, KY
  • 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, KY vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Richmond, KY?
Yes – Richmond, KY is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,225 per month in Richmond, KY and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Richmond, KY and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,150 in Richmond, KY and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 79%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,227 per month in Richmond, KY and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Richmond, KY or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Richmond, KY at $2,150. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Richmond, KY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Richmond, KY or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Richmond, KY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Richmond, KY vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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