Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elliot Lake, ON and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,324 in Elliot Lake, ON, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Elliot Lake, ON
Learn more

Elliot Lake, ON Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Elliot Lake, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,324

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,324 in Elliot Lake, ON versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Elliot Lake, ON $2,324
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,241 in Elliot Lake, ON versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Elliot Lake, ON $3,241
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,158 in Elliot Lake, ON versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Elliot Lake, ON $4,158
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Elliot Lake, ON is roughly 93% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elliot Lake, ON is 72% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.11

$10.86 MX$201

63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 CA$91.7

$44.21 MX$817

46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.94

$11.76 MX$217

-10.12%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.23

$3.68 MX$68.0

0.54%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.34 MX$24.79

47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$0.82 MX$15.24

97.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 CA$7.36

$3.06 MX$56.6

70.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 CA$7.98

$4.94 MX$91.2

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

56.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.22 MX$40.95

14.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$1.48 MX$27.32

105.41%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.48

$2.49 MX$45.99

27.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 CA$14.53

$7.52 MX$139

36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.93 CA$18.28

$7.96 MX$147

62.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 CA$23.08

$12.57 MX$232

29.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 CA$5.47

$2.78 MX$51.3

39.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.43 MX$26.37

-11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.97

$2.62 MX$48.37

33.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$2.14 MX$39.49

83.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$2.02 MX$37.38

35.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$1.99 MX$36.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$1.14 MX$21.01

113.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$1.20 MX$22.18

49.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 CA$20.04

$4.26 MX$78.7

232.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.80 CA$18.10

$10.02 MX$185

27.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.54 MX$28.41

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.66 MX$49.17

9.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$0.53 MX$9.73

324.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$27.51 MX$508

135.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$4.90 MX$90.6

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$3.43 MX$63.5

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 CA$33.55

$5.38 MX$99.4

341.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 CA$1.52

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.21%

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

$25.8K CA$36.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

21.85%

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

$23.2K CA$32.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

0.88%

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

$150 CA$212

$85.4 MX$1,577

76.03%

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

$32.88 CA$46.48

$23.46 MX$434

40.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 CA$78.6

$28.43 MX$525

95.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.30 CA$62.6

$62.2 MX$1,149

-28.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.25 CA$28.63

$28.68 MX$530

-29.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 CA$14.15

$5.10 MX$94.3

96.27%

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

$628 CA$887

$201 MX$3,715

212.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K CA$16.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

193.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 CA$80.2

$44.39 MX$820

27.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 CA$57.2

$41.35 MX$764

-2.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 CA$131

$72.7 MX$1,344

27.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$89.6 MX$1,656

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 CA$1,971

$979 MX$18.1K

42.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 CA$1,652

$373 MX$6,887

213.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,224 CA$3,145

$1,681 MX$31.1K

32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 CA$2,206

$1,095 MX$20.2K

42.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,250 CA$6,009

$3,949 MX$73.0K

7.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,892 CA$5,502

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-36.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

11.45

-59.21%

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

Last update for Elliot Lake, ON: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elliot Lake, ON

$1.2K 50.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 68.1% $796

Groceries & Markets

Elliot Lake, ON

$365 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 29.3% $107

Eating Out

Elliot Lake, ON

$270 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 25.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elliot Lake, ON

$239 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.5% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Elliot Lake, ON

$134 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16.5% $22

Getting Around

Elliot Lake, ON

$84 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 38.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Elliot Lake, ON

$64 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 12.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,394 in Elliot Lake, ON and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Elliot Lake, ON vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Elliot Lake, ON

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Elliot Lake, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,741

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elliot Lake, ON Playa del Carmen 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Elliot Lake, ON
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

Elliot Lake, ON vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,487 in Elliot Lake, ON and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,394 in Elliot Lake, ON versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,324 per month in Elliot Lake, ON versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 135% less than in Elliot Lake, ON. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,324 in Elliot Lake, ON, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Elliot Lake, ON. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Elliot Lake, ON, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Elliot Lake, ON. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.