Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riobamba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $575 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
Learn more

Riobamba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$575

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $575 per month in Riobamba vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Riobamba $575
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $913 per month in Riobamba vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Riobamba $913
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,250 per month in Riobamba vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Riobamba $1,250
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Riobamba is about 52% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Riobamba and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Riobamba 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$10.86 MX$201

-68.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.74 $15.74

$44.21 MX$817

-64.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 $6.26

$11.76 MX$217

-46.77%

Cappuccino

$2.47 $2.47

$3.68 MX$68.0

-32.88%

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

$0.73 $0.73

$1.34 MX$24.79

-45.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.82 MX$15.24

-9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.06 MX$56.6

-33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$4.94 MX$91.2

-37.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 MX$27.17

-34.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.22 MX$40.95

-7.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.48 MX$27.32

-41.22%

Eggs

$1.75 $1.75

$2.49 MX$45.99

-29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$7.52 MX$139

-73.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$7.96 MX$147

-59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$12.57 MX$232

-61.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.78 MX$51.3

-36.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.43 MX$26.37

-65.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.62 MX$48.37

-47.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.14 MX$39.49

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.02 MX$37.38

-58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.99 MX$36.74

-54.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 $0.43

$1.14 MX$21.01

-62.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.20 MX$22.18

-17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 $5.22

$4.26 MX$78.7

22.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 $5.70

$10.02 MX$185

-43.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.54 MX$28.41

-0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.66 MX$49.17

16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.53 MX$9.73

-49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.15 $18.15

$27.51 MX$508

-34.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 $1.28

$4.90 MX$90.6

-73.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.43 MX$63.5

-67.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.03 $11.03

$5.38 MX$99.4

105.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.45 MX$26.76

-40.69%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

18.73%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

29.33%

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

$20.05 $20.05

$85.4 MX$1,577

-76.51%

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

$6.90 $6.90

$23.46 MX$434

-70.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.95 $26.95

$28.43 MX$525

-5.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.93 $24.93

$62.2 MX$1,149

-59.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.68 $16.68

$28.68 MX$530

-41.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 $5.71

$5.10 MX$94.3

11.96%

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

$80.1 $80.1

$201 MX$3,715

-60.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,422 $1,422

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-63.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$44.39 MX$820

14.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.30 $46.30

$41.35 MX$764

11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$72.7 MX$1,344

42.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 $71.5

$89.6 MX$1,656

-20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 $115

$979 MX$18.1K

-88.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.5 $95.5

$373 MX$6,887

-74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 $225

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-86.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 $187

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-82.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,193 $1,193

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-69.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$766 $766

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-87.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$335 $335

$738 MX$13.6K

-54.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

11.45

-2.53%

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

Last update for Riobamba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Riobamba

$143 24.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 80.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Riobamba

$122 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.8% $11

Eating Out

Riobamba

$98 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 104% $102

Accommodation & Living

Riobamba

$95 16.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 291% $277

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riobamba

$54 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 155% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Riobamba

$36 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 99.2% $36

Getting Around

Riobamba

$26 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 98% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $115 in Riobamba 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 120% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $16.00 in Riobamba versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $143 vs $258 – making Riobamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

Same time as Riobamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Riobamba Playa del Carmen 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Riobamba
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $863 per month in Riobamba 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 Riobamba, 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 $575 in Riobamba and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 109%.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Riobamba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Riobamba, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Riobamba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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