Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dartmouth and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,993 in Dartmouth, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dartmouth
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Dartmouth Living Index
59

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

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Dartmouth

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,993

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,993 per month in Dartmouth vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dartmouth $1,993
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,990 per month in Dartmouth vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dartmouth $2,990
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Dartmouth vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dartmouth $3,987
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Dartmouth costs about 65% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dartmouth sits 48% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 CA$15.00

$10.76 MX$198

-1.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.5 CA$83.2

$43.03 MX$791

35.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 CA$9.89

$11.79 MX$217

-40.97%

Cappuccino

$3.56 CA$5.07

$3.87 MX$71.1

-8.01%

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

$2.00 CA$2.84

$1.37 MX$25.16

45.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CA$2.68

$0.84 MX$15.37

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 CA$6.33

$3.10 MX$57.0

43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$8.10

$5.07 MX$93.1

12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 CA$3.38

$1.44 MX$26.41

65.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$2.23 MX$41.02

-8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$1.47 MX$27.04

125.17%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.96

$2.53 MX$46.48

37.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 CA$10.86

$7.30 MX$134

4.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 CA$13.05

$7.86 MX$145

16.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 CA$14.74

$12.79 MX$235

-18.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.80

$2.90 MX$53.3

16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.16

$1.44 MX$26.40

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 CA$6.36

$2.55 MX$46.84

75.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 CA$8.17

$2.06 MX$37.84

179.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.88

$2.00 MX$36.79

1.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 CA$3.00

$2.01 MX$36.88

4.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.53

$1.19 MX$21.91

108.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$1.26 MX$23.11

69.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.95 CA$19.83

$4.40 MX$81.0

217.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 CA$20.15

$9.59 MX$176

47.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 CA$4.77

$1.59 MX$29.27

110.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 CA$5.50

$2.81 MX$51.7

37.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 CA$2.80

$0.57 MX$10.41

245.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 CA$84.7

$27.82 MX$512

114.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 CA$3.92

$4.98 MX$91.7

-44.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$3.50 MX$64.3

-62.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.34 CA$30.34

$5.40 MX$99.3

295.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.59

$1.47 MX$26.94

-23.81%

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

$28.0K CA$39.8K

$21.0K MX$385.9K

33.29%

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

$18.9K CA$26.8K

$23.9K MX$439.6K

-21.09%

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

$77.5 CA$110

$84.2 MX$1,548

-8.03%

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

$41.92 CA$59.6

$23.99 MX$441

74.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 CA$90.0

$29.02 MX$534

118.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 CA$50.0

$63.0 MX$1,158

-44.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$536

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 CA$17.64

$4.94 MX$90.9

151.21%

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

$373 CA$530

$204 MX$3,744

83.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CA$18.8K

$3,941 MX$72.5K

235.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 CA$56.0

$43.60 MX$802

-9.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.13 CA$47.11

$43.12 MX$793

-23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 CA$94.8

$75.8 MX$1,393

-11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.6 CA$106

$88.6 MX$1,629

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,727

$1,008 MX$18.5K

20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 CA$1,475

$374 MX$6,877

177.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 CA$2,781

$1,708 MX$31.4K

14.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 CA$2,585

$1,106 MX$20.3K

64.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,539 CA$3,610

$754 MX$13.9K

236.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.45

-59.83%

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

Last update for Dartmouth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dartmouth

$1K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 63.9% $663

Groceries & Markets

Dartmouth

$343 17.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 24.6% $84

Eating Out

Dartmouth

$197 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 2.6% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dartmouth

$183 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 24.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Dartmouth

$96 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 17.4% $17

Getting Around

Dartmouth

$77 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 31.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dartmouth

$60 3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 21.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Dartmouth versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 237% higher in Dartmouth, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Dartmouth versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dartmouth

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

2 h behind Dartmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dartmouth Playa del Carmen 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dartmouth
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,993 in Dartmouth, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,989 per month in Dartmouth and $1,816 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,993 in Dartmouth and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 65%.

Public transport costs about 114% 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 $1,210, than in Dartmouth at $1,993. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dartmouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,993 in Dartmouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dartmouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.