Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cranbrook and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,231 in Cranbrook, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Cranbrook
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Cranbrook Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Cranbrook

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,231

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,231 in Cranbrook versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cranbrook $2,231
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,017 in Cranbrook versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cranbrook $3,017
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,804 in Cranbrook versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cranbrook $3,804
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cranbrook is roughly 85% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cranbrook is 64% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.16 CA$19.78

$10.92 MX$205

29.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 CA$93.8

$43.37 MX$814

54.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 CA$14.14

$11.78 MX$221

-14.09%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.81 MX$71.5

4.72%

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

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.28 MX$24.07

42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CA$2.47

$0.78 MX$14.70

126.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 CA$7.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

61.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$7.92

$4.93 MX$92.7

15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 CA$2.57

$1.41 MX$26.40

30.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 CA$3.39

$2.22 MX$41.62

9.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 CA$6.24

$1.42 MX$26.61

214.79%

Eggs

$3.54 CA$4.94

$2.52 MX$47.36

40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.03

$7.26 MX$136

38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.51 CA$17.48

$7.70 MX$144

62.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 CA$18.21

$12.69 MX$238

2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$2.78 MX$52.3

23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.80

$1.37 MX$25.68

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 CA$3.88

$2.55 MX$47.89

9.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.38

$2.12 MX$39.86

115.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.13

$1.94 MX$36.39

89.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.38

$1.89 MX$35.41

65.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$1.15 MX$21.53

176.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CA$2.47

$1.18 MX$22.13

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 CA$16.62

$4.30 MX$80.6

176.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$19.91

$9.95 MX$187

43.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 CA$4.39

$1.58 MX$29.73

98.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 CA$5.34

$2.67 MX$50.1

43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$0.55 MX$10.39

156.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 CA$4.96

$4.97 MX$93.3

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.88 CA$4.03

$3.33 MX$62.5

-13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.89 CA$59.9

$5.36 MX$101

700.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.44 MX$27.11

-22.22%

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

$25.0K CA$34.9K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

20.94%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-10.31%

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

$176 CA$246

$84.8 MX$1,592

108.00%

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

$18.11 CA$25.31

$23.41 MX$439

-22.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CA$84.3

$28.66 MX$538

110.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.38 CA$39.65

$57.1 MX$1,071

-50.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 CA$19.89

$5.14 MX$96.5

177.04%

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

$863 CA$1,205

$207 MX$3,878

317.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,601 CA$5,032

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-8.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.66 CA$61.0

$43.35 MX$814

0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 CA$71.0

$41.44 MX$778

22.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 CA$108

$74.2 MX$1,393

4.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$168

$89.3 MX$1,676

34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 CA$1,485

$980 MX$18.4K

8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 CA$1,611

$381 MX$7,150

202.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 CA$2,346

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 CA$1,987

$1,075 MX$20.2K

32.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,933 CA$4,099

$735 MX$13.8K

299.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

11.45

-57.64%

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

Last update for Cranbrook: October 24, 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

Cranbrook

$1.2K 51.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67% $772

Groceries & Markets

Cranbrook

$368 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 30.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cranbrook

$255 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 46.3% $118

Eating Out

Cranbrook

$243 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cranbrook

$131 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cranbrook

$57 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.4% $10

Getting Around

Cranbrook

$24 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 114% $27

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 $1,063 in Cranbrook and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cranbrook pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Cranbrook vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cranbrook

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

1 h ahead of Cranbrook

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,047

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cranbrook Playa del Carmen 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cranbrook
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Cranbrook. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cranbrook is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,063 in Cranbrook versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $863 in Cranbrook versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $67 in Cranbrook. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,231 in Cranbrook, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cranbrook. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Cranbrook on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.