Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hay River, NT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,228 in Hay River, NT, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hay River, NT
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Hay River, NT Living Index
59

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

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Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hay River, NT $2,228
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hay River, NT $3,228
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,227 per month in Hay River, NT vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hay River, NT $4,227
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Hay River, NT costs about 85% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hay River, NT sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.11

$10.86 MX$201

63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 CA$91.1

$44.21 MX$817

45.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 CA$14.67

$11.76 MX$217

-11.73%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$5.01

$3.68 MX$68.0

-3.80%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.34 MX$24.79

51.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$0.82 MX$15.24

95.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 CA$7.46

$3.06 MX$56.6

72.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.01

$4.94 MX$91.2

14.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.47 MX$27.17

36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$2.22 MX$40.95

12.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.63

$1.48 MX$27.32

121.62%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.86

$2.49 MX$45.99

38.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.19

$7.52 MX$139

33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$7.96 MX$147

42.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.79 CA$20.91

$12.57 MX$232

17.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$2.78 MX$51.3

33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.43 MX$26.37

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$2.62 MX$48.37

42.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$2.14 MX$39.49

77.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$2.02 MX$37.38

21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 CA$3.17

$1.99 MX$36.74

13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.14 MX$21.01

112.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.20 MX$22.18

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$4.26 MX$78.7

232.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 CA$18.05

$10.02 MX$185

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.54 MX$28.41

70.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.66 MX$49.17

16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.20

$0.53 MX$9.73

326.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$87.7

$27.51 MX$508

125.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$4.90 MX$90.6

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$3.43 MX$63.5

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.83

$5.38 MX$99.4

318.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.62

$1.45 MX$26.76

-20.69%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

32.31%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-16.83%

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

$131 CA$186

$85.4 MX$1,577

53.99%

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

$37.62 CA$53.2

$23.46 MX$434

60.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.4

$28.43 MX$525

85.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 CA$57.2

$62.2 MX$1,149

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 CA$25.45

$28.68 MX$530

-37.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.35

$5.10 MX$94.3

112.94%

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

$760 CA$1,074

$201 MX$3,715

277.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

231.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$44.39 MX$820

18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 CA$54.2

$41.35 MX$764

-7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 CA$119

$72.7 MX$1,344

15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$147

$89.6 MX$1,656

15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,597

$979 MX$18.1K

15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CA$1,584

$373 MX$6,887

200.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 CA$2,725

$1,681 MX$31.1K

14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 CA$2,426

$1,095 MX$20.2K

56.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 CA$5,887

$3,949 MX$73.0K

5.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,582 CA$5,065

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-41.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 CA$6,041

$738 MX$13.6K

479.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

11.45

-59.30%

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

Last update for Hay River, NT: 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

Hay River, NT

$1.1K 50.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 66.7% $747

Groceries & Markets

Hay River, NT

$349 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 26.1% $91

Eating Out

Hay River, NT

$268 12%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 25.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hay River, NT

$222 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Hay River, NT

$125 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 11% $14

Getting Around

Hay River, NT

$81 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 36.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Hay River, NT

$62 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 16.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Hay River, NT 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 479% higher in Hay River, NT, 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 $64.0 in Hay River, NT versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hay River, NT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h ahead of Hay River, NT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

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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Between locations

Hay River, NT Playa del Carmen 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hay River, NT
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

Hay River, NT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hay River, NT costs about 85% 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 $3,342 per month in Hay River, NT 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,228 in Hay River, NT and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 126% 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 Hay River, NT at $2,228. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hay River, NT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,228 in Hay River, NT. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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