Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gatineau and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,132 in Gatineau, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Gatineau
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Gatineau Living Index
58

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

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Gatineau

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,132

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,132 per month in Gatineau vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gatineau $2,132
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,159 per month in Gatineau vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gatineau $3,159
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,186 per month in Gatineau vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gatineau $4,186
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Gatineau costs about 77% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gatineau sits 57% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.03 CA$18.20

$10.92 MX$205

19.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 CA$121

$43.37 MX$815

99.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 CA$15.12

$11.78 MX$221

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$3.17 CA$4.43

$3.81 MX$71.6

-16.80%

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

$1.37 CA$1.91

$1.28 MX$24.10

7.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.85

$0.78 MX$14.71

69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 CA$6.16

$3.17 MX$59.5

39.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 CA$9.02

$4.93 MX$92.7

30.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 CA$2.67

$1.41 MX$26.43

35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CA$4.18

$2.22 MX$41.66

34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 CA$7.20

$1.42 MX$26.64

263.38%

Eggs

$3.21 CA$4.48

$2.52 MX$47.41

27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 CA$16.25

$7.26 MX$137

60.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 CA$13.96

$7.70 MX$145

29.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 CA$15.48

$12.69 MX$239

-12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.55

$2.78 MX$52.3

42.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.69

$1.37 MX$25.71

40.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 CA$6.59

$2.55 MX$47.94

85.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CA$6.32

$2.12 MX$39.90

113.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 CA$2.93

$1.94 MX$36.43

8.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.44

$1.89 MX$35.44

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CA$2.91

$1.15 MX$21.55

80.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CA$3.74

$1.18 MX$22.16

127.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.94 CA$16.68

$4.30 MX$80.7

177.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.40 CA$17.32

$9.95 MX$187

24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.09

$1.58 MX$29.76

84.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.67 MX$50.2

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 CA$4.59

$0.55 MX$10.40

496.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 CA$112

$26.62 MX$500

201.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 CA$6.86

$4.97 MX$93.4

-1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 CA$3.18

$3.33 MX$62.6

-31.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.31 CA$46.53

$5.36 MX$101

521.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.73

$1.44 MX$27.14

-13.89%

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

$27.7K CA$38.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

34.18%

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

$20.9K CA$29.3K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-10.75%

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

$116 CA$162

$84.8 MX$1,594

36.78%

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

$36.45 CA$50.9

$23.41 MX$440

55.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 CA$68.6

$28.66 MX$539

71.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.92 CA$65.5

$57.1 MX$1,072

-17.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.37 CA$41.03

$28.91 MX$543

1.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 CA$15.07

$5.14 MX$96.6

109.73%

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

$552 CA$771

$207 MX$3,882

167.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$137.5K CA$192.1K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

3400.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 CA$97.7

$43.35 MX$815

61.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 CA$60.7

$41.44 MX$779

4.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 CA$124

$74.2 MX$1,394

19.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$168

$89.3 MX$1,677

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 CA$1,799

$980 MX$18.4K

31.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 CA$1,419

$381 MX$7,157

166.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 CA$2,700

$1,708 MX$32.1K

13.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 CA$2,129

$1,075 MX$20.2K

41.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,162 CA$7,212

$3,943 MX$74.1K

30.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,163 CA$8,610

$6,158 MX$115.7K

0.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,656 CA$3,711

$735 MX$13.8K

261.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

11.45

-59.48%

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

Last update for Gatineau: 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

Gatineau

$1K 47.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62.5% $635

Groceries & Markets

Gatineau

$371 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.4% $117

Eating Out

Gatineau

$220 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gatineau

$202 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 32.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Gatineau

$145 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.9% $33

Getting Around

Gatineau

$110 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 54% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Gatineau

$68 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,287 in Gatineau versus $980 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 in Gatineau are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87 in Gatineau versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Gatineau

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

Same time as Gatineau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

291,041

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gatineau Playa del Carmen 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gatineau
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

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

Gatineau costs about 77% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,199 per month in Gatineau 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,287 in Gatineau.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,132 in Gatineau and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% 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 $1,204, than in Gatineau at $2,132. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gatineau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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