Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Creston and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,156 in Creston, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Creston
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Creston Living Index
58

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

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Creston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,156

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,156 per month in Creston vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Creston $2,156
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,178 per month in Creston vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Creston $3,178
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,200 per month in Creston vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Creston $4,200
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Creston costs about 79% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Creston sits 58% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 CA$24.49

$10.92 MX$205

60.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.8 CA$89.1

$43.37 MX$814

47.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.79 CA$13.68

$11.78 MX$221

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$4.17 CA$5.82

$3.81 MX$71.5

9.45%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.28 MX$24.07

61.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$0.78 MX$14.70

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 CA$7.32

$3.17 MX$59.5

65.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 CA$7.60

$4.93 MX$92.7

10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$2.99

$1.41 MX$26.40

51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$2.22 MX$41.62

25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.31

$1.42 MX$26.61

167.61%

Eggs

$4.44 CA$6.20

$2.52 MX$47.36

76.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.38

$7.26 MX$136

41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.05 CA$16.83

$7.70 MX$144

56.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 CA$20.76

$12.69 MX$238

17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.28

$2.78 MX$52.3

35.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.37 MX$25.68

-0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.75

$2.55 MX$47.89

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.59

$2.12 MX$39.86

54.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$1.94 MX$36.39

14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$1.89 MX$35.41

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.82

$1.15 MX$21.53

138.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CA$2.47

$1.18 MX$22.13

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.96 CA$19.51

$4.30 MX$80.6

224.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 CA$16.19

$9.95 MX$187

16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 CA$4.13

$1.58 MX$29.73

86.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CA$4.41

$2.67 MX$50.1

18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$0.55 MX$10.39

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 CA$75.8

$26.62 MX$500

103.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 CA$4.15

$4.97 MX$93.3

-40.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.06

$3.33 MX$62.5

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.87 CA$33.36

$5.36 MX$101

345.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.44 MX$27.11

-18.75%

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

$30.1K CA$42.0K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

45.46%

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

$21.0K CA$29.3K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-10.65%

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

$135 CA$188

$84.8 MX$1,592

58.93%

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

$39.04 CA$54.6

$23.41 MX$439

66.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 CA$76.1

$28.66 MX$538

90.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.90 CA$58.5

$57.1 MX$1,071

-26.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.08 CA$22.47

$28.91 MX$543

-44.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 CA$14.90

$5.14 MX$96.5

107.39%

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

$696 CA$973

$207 MX$3,878

237.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K CA$19.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

248.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 CA$78.2

$43.35 MX$814

29.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.78 CA$47.19

$41.44 MX$778

-18.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 CA$130

$74.2 MX$1,393

25.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 CA$139

$89.3 MX$1,676

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CA$2,012

$980 MX$18.4K

46.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,438

$381 MX$7,150

170.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,949 CA$2,724

$1,708 MX$32.1K

14.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 CA$2,313

$1,075 MX$20.2K

53.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,461 CA$6,233

$3,943 MX$74.0K

13.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,715 CA$5,191

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

11.45

-59.13%

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

Last update for Creston: 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

Creston

$1K 47.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 63% $648

Groceries & Markets

Creston

$363 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.7% $108

Eating Out

Creston

$271 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 25.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Creston

$228 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Creston

$127 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.1% $15

Getting Around

Creston

$75 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Creston

$63 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,440 in Creston 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Creston versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Creston

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

2 h ahead of Creston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,583

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 1, 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 1, 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 →

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Creston Playa del Carmen 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Creston
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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

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

Yes – Creston is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,234 per month in Creston 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 $1,440 in Creston.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,156 in Creston and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% 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 Creston at $2,156. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Creston 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.