Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laval and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,283 in Laval, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Laval
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Laval Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Laval

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,283

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Laval vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laval $2,283
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,368 per month in Laval vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laval $3,368
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,454 per month in Laval vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Laval $4,454
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Laval costs about 90% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Laval sits 68% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 CA$24.78

$10.92 MX$205

62.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 CA$108

$43.37 MX$813

78.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.77 CA$15.05

$11.78 MX$221

-8.57%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.41

$3.81 MX$71.4

1.57%

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

$2.09 CA$2.93

$1.28 MX$24.03

63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$0.78 MX$14.67

103.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.79

$3.17 MX$59.3

75.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.06

$4.93 MX$92.5

46.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.25

$1.41 MX$26.35

64.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 CA$4.26

$2.22 MX$41.54

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$1.42 MX$26.56

112.68%

Eggs

$3.24 CA$4.53

$2.52 MX$47.27

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.35

$7.26 MX$136

61.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 CA$16.44

$7.70 MX$144

52.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 CA$19.82

$12.69 MX$238

11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$2.78 MX$52.2

31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$1.37 MX$25.64

10.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.39

$2.55 MX$47.80

51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.07

$2.12 MX$39.78

71.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$1.94 MX$36.32

36.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.75

$1.89 MX$35.34

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CA$3.56

$1.15 MX$21.49

121.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.08

$1.18 MX$22.09

26.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.34 CA$15.84

$4.30 MX$80.5

163.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 CA$17.36

$9.95 MX$186

24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$1.58 MX$29.67

41.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.67 MX$50.1

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$0.55 MX$10.37

407.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 CA$112

$26.62 MX$499

200.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 CA$3.91

$4.97 MX$93.1

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$3.33 MX$62.4

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.37

$5.36 MX$100

265.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.44 MX$27.06

-15.28%

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

$28.4K CA$39.8K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

37.63%

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

$21.6K CA$30.2K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-7.89%

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

$88.3 CA$123

$84.8 MX$1,589

4.14%

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

$37.26 CA$52.1

$23.41 MX$439

59.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.30 CA$64.7

$28.66 MX$537

61.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 CA$42.68

$57.1 MX$1,069

-46.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 CA$15.89

$5.14 MX$96.3

121.21%

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

$831 CA$1,162

$207 MX$3,871

302.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.2K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

304.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 CA$79.4

$43.35 MX$812

31.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$54.9

$41.44 MX$777

-5.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 CA$139

$74.2 MX$1,390

33.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$89.3 MX$1,672

23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,753

$980 MX$18.4K

28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 CA$1,654

$381 MX$7,136

210.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 CA$2,704

$1,708 MX$32.0K

13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 CA$2,593

$1,075 MX$20.1K

72.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,102 CA$4,335

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-21.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 CA$3,730

$735 MX$13.8K

263.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.45

-60.87%

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

Last update for Laval: 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

Laval

$1.2K 51.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 67.8% $803

Groceries & Markets

Laval

$358 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.8% $103

Eating Out

Laval

$278 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laval

$172 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Laval

$138 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.8% $26

Getting Around

Laval

$101 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 50.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Laval

$53 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 26.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,254 in Laval 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 Laval are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Laval versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Laval

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

Same time as Laval

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

438,366

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laval Playa del Carmen 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Laval
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

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

Laval costs about 90% 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 $3,424 per month in Laval 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 $1,254 in Laval.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Laval and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,283 in Laval and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 47% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Laval at $2,283. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laval 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, Laval makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.