Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,616 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,616

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cancun and in Vancouver

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cancun and in Vancouver actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,616 per month in Cancun vs $2,683 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cancun $1,616
Vancouver $2,683

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Cancun vs $3,963 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cancun $2,436
Vancouver $3,963

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Cancun vs $5,244 in Vancouver, rent included.

Cancun $3,256
Vancouver $5,244

Cancun is about 40% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cancun and Vancouver sit above the global median – Cancun by 20%, Vancouver by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.70 MX$201

$18.10 CA$25.37

-40.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 MX$1,029

$71.0 CA$99.5

-22.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 MX$215

$10.57 CA$14.81

8.33%

Cappuccino

$3.65 MX$68.6

$3.97 CA$5.56

-8.06%

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

$1.30 MX$24.38

$2.07 CA$2.90

-37.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$15.26

$1.85 CA$2.59

-56.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$5.67 CA$7.95

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 MX$80.1

$6.61 CA$9.27

-35.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$31.58

$2.16 CA$3.02

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 MX$47.24

$2.58 CA$3.62

-2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$31.13

$4.30 CA$6.02

-61.40%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$50.0

$4.09 CA$5.74

-34.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 MX$181

$12.12 CA$16.98

-20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 MX$168

$13.28 CA$18.62

-32.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 MX$261

$20.11 CA$28.19

-30.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.5

$3.96 CA$5.56

-29.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$30.45

$1.43 CA$2.00

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MX$57.9

$3.71 CA$5.20

-16.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$42.09

$3.92 CA$5.50

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.87 CA$4.02

-33.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.57

$2.98 CA$4.17

-36.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MX$22.06

$2.61 CA$3.66

-55.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.35

$1.63 CA$2.29

-23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$79.1

$15.94 CA$22.35

-73.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 MX$186

$14.25 CA$19.97

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 MX$28.35

$2.52 CA$3.54

-40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 MX$52.1

$2.87 CA$4.03

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.79

$2.57 CA$3.60

-73.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.96 MX$732

$84.4 CA$118

-53.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 MX$80.3

$2.74 CA$3.85

55.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.63 CA$2.28

77.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.42 MX$252

$31.90 CA$44.71

-57.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.71

$1.46 CA$2.04

4.79%

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

$24.5K MX$460.2K

$26.7K CA$37.4K

-8.25%

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

$23.4K MX$439.1K

$21.0K CA$29.5K

11.20%

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

$162 MX$3,041

$88.2 CA$124

83.51%

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

$23.15 MX$435

$36.72 CA$51.5

-36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.98 MX$694

$49.81 CA$69.8

-25.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 MX$502

$45.34 CA$63.6

-41.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 MX$243

$12.13 CA$17.00

6.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$137

$12.55 CA$17.59

-41.91%

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

$206 MX$3,865

$1,055 CA$1,479

-80.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,429 MX$102.0K

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-80.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,016

$56.4 CA$79.1

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 MX$1,024

$34.37 CA$48.18

58.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 MX$1,364

$89.8 CA$126

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 MX$1,726

$94.3 CA$132

-2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 MX$17.8K

$1,738 CA$2,436

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 MX$13.0K

$1,528 CA$2,143

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 MX$32.3K

$3,107 CA$4,355

-44.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 MX$22.4K

$2,547 CA$3,570

-53.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,243 MX$23.3K

$8,540 CA$12.0K

-85.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,879 MX$35.3K

$6,328 CA$8,870

-70.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$871 MX$16.4K

$3,770 CA$5,284

-76.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.24

170.05%

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

Last update for Cancun: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$690 42.7%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 122% $839

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$284 17.6%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 40.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$222 13.7%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 21.3% $47

Eating Out

Cancun

$196 12.1%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 43.6% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$123 7.6%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 0.7% $0.8

Getting Around

Cancun

$60 3.7%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 74.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$41 2.6%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 70.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $948 in Cancun versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vancouver are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Cancun versus $71 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $398 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

2 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

631,486

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cancun Vancouver 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
Vancouver

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

Cancun vs Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,616 in Cancun, $2,683 in Vancouver – Cancun comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,425 per month in Cancun and $4,024 in Vancouver. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cancun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $948 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

Kindergarten costs $206 per month in Cancun and $1,055 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,616 in Cancun and $2,683 in Vancouver, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cancun – 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 Cancun. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.