Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Grande, Puerto Rico and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio Grande and in Playa del Carmen: $1,234 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Rio Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,234 per month in Rio Grande vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Grande $1,234
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Rio Grande vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Grande $1,939
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,643 per month in Rio Grande vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Rio Grande $2,643
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Rio Grande and Playa del Carmen have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Rio Grande and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Rio Grande 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$10.92 MX$206

75.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.8 $81.8

$43.37 MX$818

88.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.25 $9.25

$11.78 MX$222

-21.48%

Cappuccino

$3.49 $3.49

$3.81 MX$71.9

-8.40%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$1.28 MX$24.19

44.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.78 MX$14.77

93.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.17 MX$59.7

-6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.93 MX$93.1

2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.41 MX$26.53

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.22 MX$41.82

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.42 MX$26.73

62.68%

Eggs

$5.54 $5.54

$2.52 MX$47.59

119.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 $12.72

$7.26 MX$137

75.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$7.70 MX$145

21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$12.69 MX$239

4.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.78 MX$52.5

83.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.37 MX$25.81

83.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.55 MX$48.12

93.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.12 MX$40.05

133.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.94 MX$36.56

96.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.89 MX$35.58

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.15 MX$21.63

72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.18 MX$22.24

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$4.30 MX$81.0

175.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 $14.81

$9.95 MX$188

48.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.58 MX$29.87

96.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.67 MX$50.4

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$502

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.97 MX$93.7

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.33 MX$62.8

-55.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.15 $42.15

$5.36 MX$101

686.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.44 MX$27.24

-18.06%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$20.7K MX$389.8K

69.84%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.5K MX$442.6K

19.42%

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

$316 $316

$84.8 MX$1,599

272.51%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$23.41 MX$442

201.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$28.66 MX$541

140.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 $11.15

$57.1 MX$1,076

-80.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 $7.81

$5.14 MX$96.9

51.95%

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

$806 $806

$207 MX$3,897

290.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,927 MX$74.1K

214.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$43.35 MX$818

30.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.91 $24.91

$41.44 MX$782

-39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 $89.9

$74.2 MX$1,400

21.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.68 $49.68

$89.3 MX$1,684

-44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,184

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$116.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.45

-42.79%

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

Last update for Rio Grande: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Grande

$455 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70% $319

Groceries & Markets

Rio Grande

$381 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.1% $126

Eating Out

Rio Grande

$261 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Grande

$100 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Grande

$27 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 152% $41

Getting Around

Rio Grande

$9.9 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 410% $41

Accommodation & Living

Rio Grande

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Rio Grande versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Rio Grande

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

12:28 12:28 PM

1 h behind Rio Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,467

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio Grande Playa del Carmen 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio Grande
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,850 per month in Rio Grande and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Rio Grande and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $806 per month in Rio Grande and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,234 in Rio Grande and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,234 in Rio Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.