Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 34.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 14% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 33.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.1 R$39.4
$11.99 MX$227
-40.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.72 R$198
$42.47 MX$803
-15.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.47 R$35.9
$10.47 MX$198
-38.20%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R$10.97
$3.6 MX$68.2
-45.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$7.28
$1.44 MX$27.16
-9.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.9 R$4.97
$0.89 MX$16.79
1.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 R$10.08
$3.09 MX$58.5
-41.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 R$15.11
$4.58 MX$86.6
-40.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 R$6.19
$1.38 MX$26.04
-18.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 R$9.48
$1.85 MX$34.9
-7.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.82
$1.57 MX$29.68
-10.19%
Eggs
$2.04 R$11.32
$2.55 MX$48.3
-20.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 R$43.53
$8.61 MX$163
-8.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 R$20.17
$8.54 MX$161
-57.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.25 R$45.78
$10.98 MX$208
-24.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 R$13.25
$2.72 MX$51.4
-12.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.58
$1.51 MX$28.57
2.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R$8.15
$1.88 MX$35.63
-21.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R$8.43
$2.19 MX$41.42
-30.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.17
$1.87 MX$35.3
-31.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R$6.45
$2.19 MX$41.37
-47.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 R$3.5
$1.07 MX$20.23
-41.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.41
$1.09 MX$20.64
-44.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 R$10.8
$3.96 MX$74.9
-50.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.34 R$40.77
$8.86 MX$167
-17.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 R$7
$1.72 MX$32.53
-26.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 R$11.67
$2.61 MX$49.37
-19.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.3 R$7.2
$0.52 MX$9.74
150.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.57 R$214
$26.59 MX$503
45.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R$6.28
$3.24 MX$61.2
-65.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 R$3.85
$2.38 MX$44.94
-71.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.8 R$43.29
$3.11 MX$58.7
150.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.87
$1.31 MX$24.85
-19.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R$113.5K
$30.3K MX$573K
-32.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K R$153.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
15.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 R$574
$84.2 MX$1,592
22.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.89 R$66
$22.14 MX$419
-46.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.63 R$103
$30.14 MX$570
-38.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.89 R$144
$52 MX$983
-50.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.74 R$132
$18.72 MX$354
26.82%
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 R$36.47
$5.07 MX$95.9
29.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 R$2,995
$200 MX$3,787
169.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K R$65.3K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
120.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.33 R$252
$35.74 MX$676
26.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.71 R$231
$39.8 MX$753
4.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 R$415
$79 MX$1,493
-5.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 R$334
$88.4 MX$1,671
-31.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 R$2,475
$965 MX$18.3K
-53.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$333 R$1,846
$474 MX$8,968
-29.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$861 R$4,780
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-47.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$573 R$3,182
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-52.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,021 R$11.2K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-34.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,183 R$6,568
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-84.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 R$2,509
$792 MX$15K
-42.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
11.42
-0.79%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.