Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duncan BC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,161 in Duncan BC, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Duncan BC
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Duncan BC Living Index
57

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

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Duncan BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,161

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,161 in Duncan BC versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Duncan BC $2,161
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,358 in Duncan BC versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Duncan BC $3,358
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,555 in Duncan BC versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Duncan BC $4,555
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Duncan BC is roughly 80% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Duncan BC is 60% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 CA$24.97

$10.67 MX$198

67.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 CA$98.9

$43.80 MX$813

61.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.76

$11.79 MX$219

-10.43%

Cappuccino

$3.95 CA$5.52

$3.79 MX$70.3

4.22%

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

$2.15 CA$3.01

$1.30 MX$24.09

65.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.38

$0.83 MX$15.48

104.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 CA$7.68

$3.15 MX$58.4

74.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 CA$8.09

$4.93 MX$91.6

17.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 CA$2.30

$1.41 MX$26.16

16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$2.20 MX$40.77

20.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 CA$6.15

$1.47 MX$27.35

199.32%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.71

$2.50 MX$46.37

63.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.96 CA$16.73

$7.29 MX$135

64.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.44

$7.95 MX$148

65.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 CA$19.61

$12.86 MX$239

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.46

$2.90 MX$53.8

34.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.94

$1.38 MX$25.69

0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.13

$2.49 MX$46.26

47.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.57

$2.03 MX$37.70

96.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.87

$2.02 MX$37.61

37.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 CA$4.12

$1.90 MX$35.35

55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 CA$3.55

$1.14 MX$21.25

122.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.24 MX$23.01

26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.72 CA$19.18

$4.27 MX$79.3

221.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 CA$16.37

$9.81 MX$182

19.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.55

$1.59 MX$29.45

59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$2.75 MX$51.0

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$0.51 MX$9.56

258.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.92 CA$55.8

$27.39 MX$509

45.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 CA$3.66

$4.76 MX$88.4

-44.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$3.25 MX$60.3

-49.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.31 CA$42.39

$5.39 MX$100

462.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.53 MX$28.38

-19.61%

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

$26.4K CA$36.9K

$21.2K MX$393.9K

24.36%

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

$21.2K CA$29.6K

$23.3K MX$432.0K

-8.90%

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

$87.4 CA$122

$83.5 MX$1,550

4.72%

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

$35.93 CA$50.2

$23.19 MX$431

54.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 CA$72.0

$27.61 MX$513

86.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 CA$85.7

$56.4 MX$1,048

8.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 CA$17.53

$5.00 MX$92.9

150.60%

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

$1,082 CA$1,514

$207 MX$3,846

422.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K CA$26.0K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

254.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 CA$80.6

$43.45 MX$807

32.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.54 CA$46.90

$42.54 MX$790

-21.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 CA$128

$72.8 MX$1,351

25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 CA$129

$88.4 MX$1,641

4.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 CA$1,847

$995 MX$18.5K

32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 CA$1,502

$382 MX$7,102

180.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,553 CA$3,570

$1,674 MX$31.1K

52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,019 CA$2,824

$1,081 MX$20.1K

86.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,345 CA$6,076

$3,909 MX$72.6K

11.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,638 CA$5,087

$6,138 MX$114.0K

-40.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,096 CA$4,329

$832 MX$15.5K

271.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

11.45

-62.97%

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

Last update for Duncan BC: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duncan BC

$1.1K 49.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 64.4% $691

Groceries & Markets

Duncan BC

$368 17%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 30.1% $111

Eating Out

Duncan BC

$276 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 27.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duncan BC

$175 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 23.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Duncan BC

$124 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 10.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Duncan BC

$86 4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 23.1% $20

Getting Around

Duncan BC

$58 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 13% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,321 in Duncan BC and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Duncan BC pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Duncan BC vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Duncan BC

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

13:55 1:55 PM

2 h ahead of Duncan BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,199

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Duncan BC Playa del Carmen 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Duncan BC
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Duncan BC is about 3.7 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: $1,321 in Duncan BC versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Duncan BC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $71 in Duncan BC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,161 in Duncan BC, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Duncan BC. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Duncan BC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.