Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
59

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

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Markham versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Markham $2,416
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Markham versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Markham $3,465
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,514 in Markham versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Markham $4,514
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Markham is roughly 100% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Markham is 79% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$10.76 MX$198

61.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$43.03 MX$791

24.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$11.79 MX$217

-11.20%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$3.87 MX$71.1

-1.55%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.37 MX$25.16

24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$0.84 MX$15.37

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$3.10 MX$57.0

15.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$5.07 MX$93.1

10.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.44 MX$26.41

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.23 MX$41.02

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.47 MX$27.04

29.25%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$2.53 MX$46.48

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$134

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$7.86 MX$145

48.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$12.79 MX$235

-46.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$2.90 MX$53.3

27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.44 MX$26.40

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$2.55 MX$46.84

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$2.06 MX$37.84

58.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$2.00 MX$36.79

2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$2.01 MX$36.88

-2.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$1.19 MX$21.91

141.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.26 MX$23.11

17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$4.40 MX$81.0

205.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$9.59 MX$176

51.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$1.59 MX$29.27

50.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$2.81 MX$51.7

13.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$0.57 MX$10.41

433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$27.82 MX$512

221.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$4.98 MX$91.7

-33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.3

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$5.40 MX$99.3

244.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.47 MX$26.94

-23.13%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$21.0K MX$385.9K

33.97%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$23.9K MX$439.6K

-24.18%

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

$125 CA$178

$84.2 MX$1,548

48.91%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$23.99 MX$441

9.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$29.02 MX$534

57.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$63.0 MX$1,158

-32.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$29.14 MX$536

-26.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$4.94 MX$90.9

106.28%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$204 MX$3,744

327.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$3,941 MX$72.5K

596.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$43.60 MX$802

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$43.12 MX$793

-13.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$75.8 MX$1,393

20.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$88.6 MX$1,629

18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$1,008 MX$18.5K

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$374 MX$6,877

271.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$1,708 MX$31.4K

57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$1,106 MX$20.3K

102.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$3,944 MX$72.5K

49.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$6,169 MX$113.4K

-13.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$754 MX$13.9K

315.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

11.45

-60.17%

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

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 73.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 7.2% $20

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 21.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 30.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 9.2% $11

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 49.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 15.7% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,554 in Markham and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 315% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $53.0 in Markham vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h behind Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Markham Playa del Carmen 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 315% higher in Markham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,554 in Markham versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $870 in Markham versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Markham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,416 in Markham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Markham and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.