Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marathon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,236 in Marathon, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Marathon
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Marathon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Marathon

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,236 per month in Marathon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marathon $2,236
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,207 per month in Marathon vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marathon $3,207
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,177 per month in Marathon vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Marathon $4,177
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Marathon costs about 86% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Marathon sits 64% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 CA$22.75

$10.92 MX$203

48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$85.3

$43.37 MX$805

40.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 CA$12.84

$11.78 MX$219

-22.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.32

$3.81 MX$70.7

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

$1.77 CA$2.48

$1.28 MX$23.81

38.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$0.78 MX$14.54

91.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 CA$7.68

$3.17 MX$58.8

73.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.68

$4.93 MX$91.7

25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$1.41 MX$26.12

48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.22 MX$41.17

17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.91

$1.42 MX$26.32

147.18%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.81

$2.52 MX$46.85

36.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 CA$13.96

$7.26 MX$135

37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 CA$16.29

$7.70 MX$143

51.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 CA$20.91

$12.69 MX$236

17.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.40

$2.78 MX$51.7

38.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.90

$1.37 MX$25.41

-0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.24

$2.55 MX$47.37

47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.44

$2.12 MX$39.43

83.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.41

$1.94 MX$36.00

25.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 CA$3.21

$1.89 MX$35.02

21.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.38

$1.15 MX$21.29

110.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$1.18 MX$21.89

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 CA$19.39

$4.30 MX$79.8

222.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.59 CA$17.61

$9.95 MX$185

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.76

$1.58 MX$29.41

70.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.34

$2.67 MX$49.60

16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$0.55 MX$10.28

380.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 CA$82.1

$26.62 MX$494

120.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$4.97 MX$92.3

-42.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.11

$3.33 MX$61.9

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 CA$36.83

$5.36 MX$99.5

391.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 CA$1.45

$1.44 MX$26.82

-27.78%

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

$27.5K CA$38.5K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

33.25%

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

$18.7K CA$26.2K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

-20.16%

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

$137 CA$191

$84.8 MX$1,575

60.99%

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

$38.33 CA$53.6

$23.41 MX$435

63.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CA$75.8

$28.66 MX$532

89.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.55 CA$48.31

$57.1 MX$1,059

-39.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 CA$28.30

$28.91 MX$537

-29.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 CA$15.11

$5.14 MX$95.4

110.12%

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

$609 CA$852

$207 MX$3,836

195.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K CA$18.0K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

228.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 CA$78.5

$43.35 MX$805

29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 CA$53.8

$41.44 MX$770

-7.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 CA$119

$74.2 MX$1,378

14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$145

$89.3 MX$1,657

16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 CA$1,767

$980 MX$18.2K

29.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 CA$1,582

$381 MX$7,072

197.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 CA$2,820

$1,708 MX$31.7K

18.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 CA$2,368

$1,075 MX$20.0K

57.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,049

$3,943 MX$73.2K

9.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,656 CA$5,113

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 CA$2,478

$735 MX$13.6K

141.22%

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 Marathon: October 27, 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

Marathon

$1.1K 50.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.3% $751

Groceries & Markets

Marathon

$355 15.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 28.3% $101

Eating Out

Marathon

$256 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marathon

$229 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 40.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Marathon

$127 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.3% $16

Getting Around

Marathon

$80 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Marathon

$56 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 19.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,264 in Marathon 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 Marathon are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Marathon versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Marathon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

Same time as Marathon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Marathon Playa del Carmen 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marathon
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

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

Yes – Marathon is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,354 per month in Marathon 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 $1,264 in Marathon.

Kindergarten costs $609 per month in Marathon and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Marathon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Marathon at $2,236. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marathon 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, Marathon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.