Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chatham-Kent and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,948 in Chatham-Kent, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chatham-Kent, Canada
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Chatham-Kent
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,948
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,948 in Chatham-Kent versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Chatham-Kent $1,948
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,811 in Chatham-Kent versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Chatham-Kent $2,811
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,675 in Chatham-Kent versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Chatham-Kent $3,675
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Chatham-Kent is roughly 62% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chatham-Kent is 43% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.68 CA$24.84
$10.92 MX$204
61.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.5 CA$79.4
$43.37 MX$810
30.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.84 CA$13.83
$11.78 MX$220
-16.47%
Cappuccino
$2.93 CA$4.12
$3.81 MX$71.2
-23.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.33
$1.28 MX$23.96
29.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 CA$1.88
$0.78 MX$14.63
71.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.27 CA$7.40
$3.17 MX$59.2
66.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.83 CA$8.19
$4.93 MX$92.2
18.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 CA$1.47
$1.41 MX$26.28
-26.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 CA$2.33
$2.22 MX$41.43
-25.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 CA$3.36
$1.42 MX$26.48
68.31%
Eggs
$2.99 CA$4.21
$2.52 MX$47.14
18.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.22 CA$15.76
$7.26 MX$136
54.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.10 CA$21.22
$7.70 MX$144
96.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.03 CA$22.52
$12.69 MX$237
26.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 CA$4.87
$2.78 MX$52.0
24.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 CA$1.90
$1.37 MX$25.56
-0.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.31 CA$4.66
$2.55 MX$47.66
29.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.86
$2.12 MX$39.67
63.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 CA$1.86
$1.94 MX$36.22
-31.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 CA$2.62
$1.89 MX$35.24
-1.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.66 CA$2.34
$1.15 MX$21.42
44.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 CA$1.71
$1.18 MX$22.03
3.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.07 CA$18.37
$4.30 MX$80.3
203.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.17 CA$14.29
$9.95 MX$186
2.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 CA$1.63
$1.58 MX$29.59
-26.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$2.67 MX$49.91
-55.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.83 CA$2.57
$0.55 MX$10.34
232.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$497
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.46 CA$3.45
$4.97 MX$92.9
-50.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.74 CA$2.44
$3.33 MX$62.2
-47.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.20 CA$39.62
$5.36 MX$100
426.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 CA$1.59
$1.44 MX$26.98
-21.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K CA$38.7K
$20.7K MX$386.2K
33.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.5K CA$28.9K
$23.5K MX$438.5K
-12.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$143 CA$200
$84.8 MX$1,584
68.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.92 CA$39.23
$23.41 MX$437
19.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.26 CA$60.8
$28.66 MX$535
50.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,066
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$540
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.75 CA$15.11
$5.14 MX$96.0
109.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$452 CA$635
$207 MX$3,860
118.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K CA$22.0K
$3,927 MX$73.4K
299.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.4 CA$84.8
$43.35 MX$810
39.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.86 CA$46.17
$41.44 MX$774
-20.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 CA$113
$74.2 MX$1,386
8.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.3 CA$107
$89.3 MX$1,668
-14.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,410 CA$1,981
$980 MX$18.3K
43.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 CA$1,413
$381 MX$7,116
164.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,780 CA$2,501
$1,708 MX$31.9K
4.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 CA$2,176
$1,075 MX$20.1K
44.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chatham-Kent
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,074 CA$4,319
$735 MX$13.7K
318.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.05
11.45
-55.90%

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

Last update for Chatham-Kent: 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
Chatham-Kent
$1K
Playa del Carmen
$381 62.1% $625
Groceries & Markets
Chatham-Kent
$319
Playa del Carmen
$255 20.2% $65
Eating Out
Chatham-Kent
$256
Playa del Carmen
$202 21% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chatham-Kent
$214
Playa del Carmen
$137 36% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Chatham-Kent
$112
Playa del Carmen
$112 0.6% $0.7
Sport & Entertainment
Chatham-Kent
$22 *
Playa del Carmen
$67 213% $46
Getting Around
Chatham-Kent
$18 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 173% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,410 in Chatham-Kent and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chatham-Kent pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Chatham-Kent vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Chatham-Kent
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:43 10:43 PM
21:43 9:43 PM
1 h behind Chatham-Kent
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chatham-Kent Playa del Carmen 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chatham-Kent
  • 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
Chatham-Kent vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chatham-Kent or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Chatham-Kent. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Chatham-Kent or in Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Chatham-Kent is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Chatham-Kent compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,410 in Chatham-Kent versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Chatham-Kent or in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Chatham-Kent. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Chatham-Kent compared to Playa del Carmen?
All in, you’ll spend $1,948 per month in Chatham-Kent versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Chatham-Kent or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,948 in Chatham-Kent, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Chatham-Kent. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chatham-Kent or Playa del Carmen?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Should I move to Chatham-Kent or to Playa del Carmen?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Chatham-Kent on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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