Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Level and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,168 in High Level, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in High Level
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High Level Living Index
58

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

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High Level

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,168

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,168 in High Level versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

High Level $2,168
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,250 in High Level versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

High Level $3,250
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,332 in High Level versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

High Level $4,332
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in High Level is roughly 80% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: High Level is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.04 CA$26.71

$10.92 MX$204

74.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 CA$80.0

$43.37 MX$808

31.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 CA$14.28

$11.78 MX$220

-13.58%

Cappuccino

$3.41 CA$4.79

$3.81 MX$71.0

-10.50%

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

$1.90 CA$2.66

$1.28 MX$23.90

48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.57

$0.78 MX$14.59

134.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 CA$7.57

$3.17 MX$59.0

70.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 CA$8.82

$4.93 MX$92.0

27.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$1.41 MX$26.22

63.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 CA$4.00

$2.22 MX$41.33

28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.05

$1.42 MX$26.42

153.52%

Eggs

$3.62 CA$5.08

$2.52 MX$47.03

43.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 CA$13.36

$7.26 MX$135

31.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.90

$7.70 MX$143

37.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 CA$20.02

$12.69 MX$237

12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.75

$2.78 MX$51.9

21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.37 MX$25.50

-0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.86

$2.55 MX$47.55

36.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.23

$2.12 MX$39.58

75.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$1.94 MX$36.13

32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CA$2.97

$1.89 MX$35.16

12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$1.15 MX$21.37

140.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$1.18 MX$21.98

51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.74

$4.30 MX$80.1

243.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 CA$18.14

$9.95 MX$185

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$1.58 MX$29.52

70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$2.67 MX$49.79

13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 CA$3.11

$0.55 MX$10.31

303.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 CA$77.9

$26.62 MX$496

108.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 CA$3.64

$4.97 MX$92.6

-47.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$3.33 MX$62.1

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.89 CA$32.12

$5.36 MX$99.8

327.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.44 MX$26.92

-21.53%

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

$31.5K CA$44.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

52.47%

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

$22.4K CA$31.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-4.73%

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

$121 CA$170

$84.8 MX$1,581

43.25%

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

$40.46 CA$56.8

$23.41 MX$436

72.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CA$81.5

$28.66 MX$534

102.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.13 CA$50.7

$57.1 MX$1,063

-36.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 CA$27.41

$28.91 MX$539

-32.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 CA$15.11

$5.14 MX$95.8

109.53%

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

$580 CA$814

$207 MX$3,851

180.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K CA$20.2K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

266.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 CA$70.0

$43.35 MX$808

15.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.48 CA$51.2

$41.44 MX$772

-11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 CA$130

$74.2 MX$1,383

25.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 CA$126

$89.3 MX$1,664

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,807

$980 MX$18.3K

31.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 CA$1,493

$381 MX$7,099

179.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 CA$2,790

$1,708 MX$31.8K

16.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 CA$2,614

$1,075 MX$20.0K

73.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,808 CA$6,747

$3,943 MX$73.5K

21.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,870 CA$5,431

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

11.45

-59.13%

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

Last update for High Level: October 25, 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

High Level

$1.1K 49.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64.2% $683

Groceries & Markets

High Level

$352 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.7% $98

Eating Out

High Level

$278 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Level

$220 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 37.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

High Level

$121 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.7% $9.3

Getting Around

High Level

$74 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32% $24

Sport & Entertainment

High Level

$58 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 16.7% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in High Level and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in High Level 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

🇨🇦 High Level

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

17:55 5:55 PM

1 h ahead of High Level

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

High Level Playa del Carmen 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

High Level
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,168 in High Level and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,251 in High Level 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: $1,288 in High Level versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,168 per month in High Level versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 52% less than in High Level. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,168 in High Level, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in High Level. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in High Level. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.