Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Châteauguay, QC: $976 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Châteauguay, QC
🇨🇦 Canada
$976
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $976 per month in Châteauguay, QC vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Châteauguay, QC $976
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,614 per month in Châteauguay, QC vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Châteauguay, QC $1,614
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,252 per month in Châteauguay, QC vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Châteauguay, QC $2,252
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Châteauguay, QC is about 19% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Châteauguay, QC 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.17 CA$22.86
$10.86 MX$201
48.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.3 CA$104
$44.21 MX$817
65.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.53 CA$14.89
$11.76 MX$217
-10.46%
Cappuccino
$3.77 CA$5.33
$3.68 MX$68.0
2.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 CA$2.78
$1.34 MX$24.79
46.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 CA$1.87
$0.82 MX$15.24
60.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.55 CA$9.25
$3.06 MX$56.6
114.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.92 CA$9.78
$4.94 MX$91.2
40.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 CA$3.09
$1.47 MX$27.17
48.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 CA$3.70
$2.22 MX$40.95
18.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 CA$4.41
$1.48 MX$27.32
110.81%
Eggs
$3.02 CA$4.26
$2.49 MX$45.99
21.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.41 CA$14.71
$7.52 MX$139
38.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.42 CA$16.14
$7.96 MX$147
43.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.62 CA$19.26
$12.57 MX$232
8.35%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 CA$4.29
$2.78 MX$51.3
8.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.73
$1.43 MX$26.37
-14.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.89
$2.62 MX$48.37
32.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.15 CA$4.46
$2.14 MX$39.49
47.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 CA$2.75
$2.02 MX$37.38
-3.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.76 CA$2.49
$1.99 MX$36.74
-11.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 CA$3.04
$1.14 MX$21.01
88.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 CA$2.14
$1.20 MX$22.18
25.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.47 CA$16.22
$4.26 MX$78.7
169.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 CA$14.84
$10.02 MX$185
4.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 CA$3.19
$1.54 MX$28.41
46.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 CA$4.03
$2.66 MX$49.17
7.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.53 MX$9.73
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.57
$4.90 MX$90.6
-34.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 CA$2.04
$3.43 MX$63.5
-57.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.32 CA$44.28
$5.38 MX$99.4
482.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.64
$1.45 MX$26.76
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K CA$40.0K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
33.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K CA$29.0K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
-10.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 CA$181
$85.4 MX$1,577
49.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.74 CA$54.8
$23.46 MX$434
65.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.5 CA$88.4
$28.43 MX$525
119.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$62.2 MX$1,149
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.68 MX$530
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.79 CA$15.25
$5.10 MX$94.3
111.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$502 CA$710
$201 MX$3,715
149.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$22.9K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
310.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 CA$74.5
$44.39 MX$820
18.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.09 CA$45.37
$41.35 MX$764
-22.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.0 CA$112
$72.7 MX$1,344
8.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 CA$148
$89.6 MX$1,656
16.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,507 CA$2,130
$979 MX$18.1K
53.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$373 MX$6,887
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Châteauguay, QC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
11.45
-60.87%

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

Last update for Châteauguay, QC: October 18, 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
Châteauguay, QC
$328
Playa del Carmen
$258 21.2% $70
Eating Out
Châteauguay, QC
$266
Playa del Carmen
$200 24.7% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Châteauguay, QC
$229
Playa del Carmen
$137 40.1% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Châteauguay, QC
$121
Playa del Carmen
$112 7.6% $9.1
Sport & Entertainment
Châteauguay, QC
$22 *
Playa del Carmen
$72 236% $51
Getting Around
Châteauguay, QC
$10 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 394% $41
Accommodation & Living
Châteauguay, QC
- *
Playa del Carmen
$373

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,507 in Châteauguay, QC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Châteauguay, QC versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Châteauguay, QC
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:33 12:33 AM
23:33 11:33 PM
1 h behind Châteauguay, QC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,786
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Châteauguay, QC Playa del Carmen 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Châteauguay, QC
  • 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
Châteauguay, QC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Châteauguay, QC and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $976 in Châteauguay, QC, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Châteauguay, QC compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,464 per month in Châteauguay, QC and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Châteauguay, QC, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Châteauguay, QC or Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $976 in Châteauguay, QC and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 23%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $502 per month in Châteauguay, QC and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Châteauguay, QC, where all-in costs run around $976, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Châteauguay, QC it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $976 in Châteauguay, QC to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Châteauguay, QC and Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Châteauguay, QC. 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.

Châteauguay, QC vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?