Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medicine Hat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,806 in Medicine Hat, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat Living Index
59

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

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Medicine Hat

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Medicine Hat vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medicine Hat $1,806
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,707 per month in Medicine Hat vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medicine Hat $2,707
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,608 per month in Medicine Hat vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Medicine Hat $3,608
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Medicine Hat costs about 49% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medicine Hat sits 34% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.42 CA$20.39

$10.76 MX$199

34.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 CA$100

$43.03 MX$795

64.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 CA$13.91

$11.79 MX$218

-16.54%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.16

$3.87 MX$71.4

-5.68%

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

$1.91 CA$2.70

$1.37 MX$25.29

39.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.46

$0.84 MX$15.44

107.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.88

$3.10 MX$57.3

57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CA$5.39

$5.07 MX$93.6

-24.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.44 MX$26.55

5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.23 MX$41.23

-22.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$1.47 MX$27.17

131.97%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.30

$2.53 MX$46.71

20.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CA$13.23

$7.30 MX$135

28.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 CA$15.19

$7.86 MX$145

36.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$12.79 MX$236

0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.47

$2.90 MX$53.6

8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.44 MX$26.53

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$2.55 MX$47.07

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$2.06 MX$38.03

73.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.71

$2.00 MX$36.97

31.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$2.01 MX$37.07

-27.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.19 MX$22.02

120.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.17

$1.26 MX$23.23

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.29 CA$15.96

$4.40 MX$81.4

156.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.84

$9.59 MX$177

31.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.59 MX$29.41

54.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.81 MX$51.9

11.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$0.57 MX$10.47

294.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.74 CA$70.3

$27.82 MX$514

78.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$4.98 MX$92.1

-35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$3.50 MX$64.6

-62.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 CA$38.30

$5.40 MX$99.8

401.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 CA$1.42

$1.47 MX$27.08

-31.97%

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

$27.7K CA$39.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

32.06%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-22.44%

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

$163 CA$231

$84.2 MX$1,556

93.68%

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

$38.36 CA$54.2

$23.99 MX$443

59.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CA$71.9

$29.02 MX$536

75.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$63.0 MX$1,164

-15.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.70 CA$50.5

$29.14 MX$539

22.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 CA$19.72

$4.94 MX$91.3

182.39%

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

$782 CA$1,105

$204 MX$3,763

283.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K CA$22.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

294.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CA$72.0

$43.60 MX$806

16.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.16 CA$36.98

$43.12 MX$797

-39.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 CA$94.6

$75.8 MX$1,400

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 CA$93.2

$88.6 MX$1,637

-25.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 CA$1,131

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-20.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 CA$1,073

$374 MX$6,911

102.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 CA$1,891

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-21.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 CA$1,733

$1,106 MX$20.4K

10.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,314 CA$1,858

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-66.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,905 CA$2,693

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-69.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,951 CA$4,171

$754 MX$13.9K

291.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

11.45

-60.61%

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

Last update for Medicine Hat: October 10, 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

Medicine Hat

$759 42%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 50.7% $385

Groceries & Markets

Medicine Hat

$316 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 18.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medicine Hat

$252 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 45.6% $115

Eating Out

Medicine Hat

$235 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 14% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Medicine Hat

$94 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 19.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Medicine Hat

$81 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 10% $8.1

Getting Around

Medicine Hat

$69 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 23.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Medicine Hat versus $1,008 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 291% higher in Medicine Hat, 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 $71.0 in Medicine Hat versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Medicine Hat

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h ahead of Medicine Hat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,997

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medicine Hat Playa del Carmen 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medicine Hat
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

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

Medicine Hat costs about 49% 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 $2,710 per month in Medicine Hat and $1,816 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 $1,806 in Medicine Hat and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 79% 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 $1,210, than in Medicine Hat at $1,806. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medicine Hat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,806 in Medicine Hat. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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