Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fredericton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,068 in Fredericton, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fredericton, Canada
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Fredericton
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,068
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,068 in Fredericton versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fredericton $2,068
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,097 in Fredericton versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fredericton $3,097
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Fredericton versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Fredericton $4,127
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Fredericton is roughly 72% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fredericton is 52% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.01 CA$22.36
$10.92 MX$205
46.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.1 CA$89.6
$43.37 MX$815
47.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.71 CA$17.75
$11.78 MX$221
7.89%
Cappuccino
$4.09 CA$5.71
$3.81 MX$71.6
7.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$1.28 MX$24.10
103.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.01
$0.78 MX$14.71
176.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.65 CA$7.90
$3.17 MX$59.5
78.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.04 CA$7.04
$4.93 MX$92.7
2.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 CA$2.40
$1.41 MX$26.43
21.99%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 CA$3.90
$2.22 MX$41.66
25.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 CA$3.53
$1.42 MX$26.64
78.17%
Eggs
$3.90 CA$5.46
$2.52 MX$47.41
54.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.43 CA$15.96
$7.26 MX$137
57.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.67 CA$13.51
$7.70 MX$145
25.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.53 CA$14.71
$12.69 MX$239
-17.02%
Apples (1kg)
$4.65 CA$6.50
$2.78 MX$52.3
67.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 CA$2.24
$1.37 MX$25.71
17.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.78 CA$6.68
$2.55 MX$47.94
87.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.40 CA$7.54
$2.12 MX$39.90
154.72%
Potato (1kg)
$2.62 CA$3.66
$1.94 MX$36.43
35.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 CA$2.11
$1.89 MX$35.44
-20.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 CA$3.08
$1.15 MX$21.55
91.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 CA$2.31
$1.18 MX$22.16
40.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.36 CA$15.87
$4.30 MX$80.7
164.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.03 CA$16.80
$9.95 MX$187
20.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.08 CA$4.30
$1.58 MX$29.76
94.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.44 CA$6.20
$2.67 MX$50.2
66.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.19 CA$3.06
$0.55 MX$10.40
298.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.2 CA$78.5
$26.62 MX$500
110.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.79 CA$3.90
$4.97 MX$93.4
-43.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 CA$1.88
$3.33 MX$62.6
-59.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.08 CA$29.45
$5.36 MX$101
293.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 CA$1.77
$1.44 MX$27.14
-11.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K CA$39.6K
$20.7K MX$388.4K
37.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K CA$30.0K
$23.5K MX$441.0K
-8.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$124 CA$173
$84.8 MX$1,594
45.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$72.4 CA$101
$23.41 MX$440
209.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.5 CA$99.9
$28.66 MX$539
149.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.23 CA$52.0
$57.1 MX$1,072
-34.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.31 CA$35.36
$28.91 MX$543
-12.45%
Cinema Ticket
$10.50 CA$14.67
$5.14 MX$96.6
104.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$595 CA$831
$207 MX$3,882
188.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,728 CA$2,414
$3,927 MX$73.8K
-56.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.8 CA$70.9
$43.35 MX$815
17.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.42 CA$55.1
$41.44 MX$779
-4.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 CA$106
$74.2 MX$1,394
2.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.0 CA$115
$89.3 MX$1,677
-8.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 CA$1,691
$980 MX$18.4K
23.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$931 CA$1,301
$381 MX$7,157
144.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 CA$2,819
$1,708 MX$32.1K
18.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,579 CA$2,205
$1,075 MX$20.2K
46.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,023 CA$2,827
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-48.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,815 CA$2,535
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-70.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fredericton
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,557 CA$3,573
$735 MX$13.8K
248.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
11.45
-58.34%

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

Last update for Fredericton: 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
Fredericton
$931
Playa del Carmen
$381 59.1% $550
Groceries & Markets
Fredericton
$352
Playa del Carmen
$255 27.6% $97
Eating Out
Fredericton
$273
Playa del Carmen
$202 25.8% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fredericton
$268
Playa del Carmen
$137 48.9% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Fredericton
$112
Playa del Carmen
$112 0.1% $0.1
Getting Around
Fredericton
$74
Playa del Carmen
$50 32.2% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Fredericton
$58
Playa del Carmen
$67 15.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,211 in Fredericton and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredericton pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Fredericton vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Fredericton
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
10:30 10:30 AM
09:30 9:30 AM
1 h behind Fredericton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
56,224
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fredericton Playa del Carmen 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Fredericton
  • 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
Fredericton vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Fredericton?
Playa del Carmen is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Fredericton or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Fredericton is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Fredericton and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,211 in Fredericton versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 53% less than in Fredericton. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $595 in Fredericton versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Fredericton or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,068 in Fredericton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Fredericton. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Fredericton or in Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Fredericton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Fredericton vs other spots: cost of living compared

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