Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
59

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

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Kingston vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kingston $2,297
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Kingston vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kingston $3,179
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Kingston vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kingston $4,062
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Kingston costs about 91% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kingston sits 70% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 CA$22.16

$10.86 MX$201

44.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 CA$89.8

$44.21 MX$817

43.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$11.76 MX$217

-10.54%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.68 MX$68.0

-4.62%

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

$2.10 CA$2.96

$1.34 MX$24.79

56.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$0.82 MX$15.24

59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$7.98

$3.06 MX$56.6

84.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$4.94 MX$91.2

25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.47 MX$27.17

53.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.22 MX$40.95

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$1.48 MX$27.32

102.70%

Eggs

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.49 MX$45.99

17.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$7.52 MX$139

38.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 CA$16.63

$7.96 MX$147

47.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 CA$16.04

$12.57 MX$232

-9.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.78 MX$51.3

7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.43 MX$26.37

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$2.62 MX$48.37

32.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.37

$2.14 MX$39.49

77.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.02 MX$37.38

47.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$1.99 MX$36.74

27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 CA$3.03

$1.14 MX$21.01

88.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.20 MX$22.18

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$4.26 MX$78.7

234.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 CA$18.01

$10.02 MX$185

27.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.54 MX$28.41

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$2.66 MX$49.17

12.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$0.53 MX$9.73

360.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 CA$81.7

$27.51 MX$508

110.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 CA$4.74

$4.90 MX$90.6

-31.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$3.43 MX$63.5

-58.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.42 CA$45.84

$5.38 MX$99.4

502.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.45 MX$26.76

-22.07%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

31.91%

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

$20.8K CA$29.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-9.49%

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

$130 CA$184

$85.4 MX$1,577

52.52%

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

$39.13 CA$55.3

$23.46 MX$434

66.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 CA$87.1

$28.43 MX$525

116.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.11 CA$41.16

$62.2 MX$1,149

-53.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 CA$12.38

$28.68 MX$530

-69.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 CA$15.07

$5.10 MX$94.3

109.02%

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

$525 CA$742

$201 MX$3,715

161.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$44.39 MX$820

20.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.73 CA$44.86

$41.35 MX$764

-23.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 CA$111

$72.7 MX$1,344

7.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 CA$116

$89.6 MX$1,656

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 CA$2,137

$979 MX$18.1K

54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 CA$1,751

$373 MX$6,887

232.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,329 CA$3,293

$1,681 MX$31.1K

38.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 CA$2,380

$1,095 MX$20.2K

53.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,402 CA$4,810

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-13.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,433 CA$3,439

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-60.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 CA$4,382

$738 MX$13.6K

320.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

11.45

-59.74%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 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

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 69.9% $866

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$336 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 23% $77

Eating Out

Kingston

$253 11%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 21% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$231 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$110 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.1% $1.2

Getting Around

Kingston

$78 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 33.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$50 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 43.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Kingston 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 320% higher in Kingston, 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 Kingston versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Kingston Playa del Carmen 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,297 in Kingston, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,446 per month in Kingston 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 $2,297 in Kingston and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 110% 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 Kingston at $2,297. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston 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 $2,297 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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