Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajax, ON and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,515

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,515 per month in Ajax, ON vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajax, ON $2,515
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,611 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajax, ON $3,611
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,707 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ajax, ON $4,707
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ajax, ON costs about 109% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ajax, ON sits 85% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.19 CA$25.53

$10.92 MX$204

66.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 CA$75.5

$43.37 MX$808

24.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 CA$14.73

$11.78 MX$220

-10.87%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.28

$3.81 MX$71.0

-1.31%

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

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.28 MX$23.90

42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.13

$0.78 MX$14.59

94.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 CA$4.93

$3.17 MX$59.0

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$4.93 MX$92.0

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.41 MX$26.22

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CA$4.20

$2.22 MX$41.33

34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.79

$1.42 MX$26.42

140.14%

Eggs

$3.87 CA$5.43

$2.52 MX$47.03

53.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 CA$14.81

$7.26 MX$135

45.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.52

$7.70 MX$143

52.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.12 CA$24.02

$12.69 MX$237

34.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.81

$2.78 MX$51.9

48.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 CA$2.43

$1.37 MX$25.50

26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$2.55 MX$47.55

23.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$2.12 MX$39.58

58.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 CA$3.24

$1.94 MX$36.13

19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 CA$3.46

$1.89 MX$35.16

30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.09

$1.15 MX$21.37

91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.18 MX$21.98

64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.81

$4.30 MX$80.1

228.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 CA$19.35

$9.95 MX$185

38.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$2.98

$1.58 MX$29.52

34.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$2.67 MX$49.79

-4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$0.55 MX$10.31

349.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.5 CA$121

$26.62 MX$496

224.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$4.97 MX$92.6

-31.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.55 CA$34.45

$5.36 MX$99.8

358.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.44 MX$26.92

-18.06%

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

$28.2K CA$39.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

36.23%

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

$21.8K CA$30.6K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-7.23%

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

$128 CA$179

$84.8 MX$1,581

50.68%

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

$29.35 CA$41.18

$23.41 MX$436

25.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 CA$82.6

$28.66 MX$534

105.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.96 CA$47.66

$57.1 MX$1,063

-40.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 CA$15.06

$28.91 MX$539

-62.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 CA$14.50

$5.14 MX$95.8

100.97%

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

$522 CA$732

$207 MX$3,851

152.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K CA$23.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

326.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 CA$72.9

$43.35 MX$808

19.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 CA$72.8

$41.44 MX$772

25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 CA$133

$74.2 MX$1,383

27.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$89.3 MX$1,664

20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 CA$2,119

$980 MX$18.3K

54.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,928

$381 MX$7,099

260.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 CA$3,299

$1,708 MX$31.8K

37.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 CA$3,050

$1,075 MX$20.0K

102.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,081 CA$4,323

$735 MX$13.7K

319.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

11.45

-58.08%

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

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 54.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.3% $993

Groceries & Markets

Ajax, ON

$369 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.9% $114

Eating Out

Ajax, ON

$264 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajax, ON

$216 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Ajax, ON

$138 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.9% $26

Getting Around

Ajax, ON

$100 * 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Ajax, ON

$55 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 23.3% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,510 in Ajax, ON versus $980 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 in Ajax, ON are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Ajax, ON versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

1 h behind Ajax, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,677

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajax, ON Playa del Carmen 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ajax, ON
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

Ajax, ON vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,773 per month in Ajax, ON 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,515 in Ajax, ON and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 69% 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 $1,204, than in Ajax, ON at $2,515. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajax, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.