Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Estevan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,230 in Estevan, 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 Estevan
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Estevan Living Index
59

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

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Estevan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,230

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,230 per month in Estevan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Estevan $2,230
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Estevan vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Estevan $3,133
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,037 per month in Estevan vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Estevan $4,037
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Estevan costs about 85% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Estevan sits 65% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 CA$29.99

$10.86 MX$201

95.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 CA$93.8

$44.21 MX$817

50.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 CA$7.83

$11.76 MX$217

-52.89%

Cappuccino

$2.16 CA$3.06

$3.68 MX$68.0

-41.30%

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

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.34 MX$24.79

67.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$0.82 MX$15.24

117.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 CA$9.55

$3.06 MX$56.6

120.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.31

$4.94 MX$91.2

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 CA$1.37

$1.47 MX$27.17

-34.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$2.22 MX$40.95

-47.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$1.48 MX$27.32

109.46%

Eggs

$1.94 CA$2.75

$2.49 MX$45.99

-22.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.38

$7.52 MX$139

82.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.36 CA$8.99

$7.96 MX$147

-20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.11 CA$22.77

$12.57 MX$232

28.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.90

$2.78 MX$51.3

50.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.43 MX$26.37

-16.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.56

$2.62 MX$48.37

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$2.14 MX$39.49

66.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 CA$3.23

$2.02 MX$37.38

13.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 CA$3.35

$1.99 MX$36.74

19.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.14 MX$21.01

22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 CA$0.57

$1.20 MX$22.18

-65.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 CA$20.50

$4.26 MX$78.7

240.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.93

$10.02 MX$185

33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 CA$4.90

$1.54 MX$28.41

124.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.67

$2.66 MX$49.17

24.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$0.53 MX$9.73

277.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 CA$87.0

$27.51 MX$508

123.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 CA$5.22

$4.90 MX$90.6

-24.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 CA$1.13

$3.43 MX$63.5

-76.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.13 CA$29.87

$5.38 MX$99.4

292.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.45 MX$26.76

-21.38%

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

$28.0K CA$39.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.17%

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

$21.6K CA$30.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-6.14%

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

$127 CA$179

$85.4 MX$1,577

48.31%

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

$51.7 CA$73.0

$23.46 MX$434

120.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 CA$79.6

$28.43 MX$525

98.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.96 CA$57.9

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 CA$28.21

$28.68 MX$530

-30.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.76

$5.10 MX$94.3

104.71%

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

$466 CA$659

$201 MX$3,715

131.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CA$15.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

170.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$73.5

$44.39 MX$820

17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.50 CA$53.0

$41.35 MX$764

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$133

$72.7 MX$1,344

29.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$153

$89.6 MX$1,656

20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 CA$1,756

$979 MX$18.1K

26.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 CA$1,631

$373 MX$6,887

209.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 CA$2,659

$1,681 MX$31.1K

11.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 CA$2,240

$1,095 MX$20.2K

44.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,391 CA$6,208

$3,949 MX$73.0K

11.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,310 CA$4,680

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-46.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,314 CA$6,099

$738 MX$13.6K

484.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

11.45

-60.00%

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

Last update for Estevan: October 20, 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

Estevan

$1.2K 51.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 67.7% $781

Groceries & Markets

Estevan

$297 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 13% $39

Eating Out

Estevan

$274 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 26.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Estevan

$235 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 41.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Estevan

$131 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.1% $20

Getting Around

Estevan

$77 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 33.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Estevan

$62 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 17.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Estevan versus $979 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 485% higher in Estevan, 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 $66.0 in Estevan versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Estevan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h ahead of Estevan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,054

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

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Highest

Between locations

Estevan Playa del Carmen 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Estevan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,230 in Estevan, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,344 per month in Estevan 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Estevan and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Estevan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Estevan at $2,230. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Estevan 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,230 in Estevan. 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, Estevan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.