Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,718 in Milton, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Milton
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Milton Living Index
58

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

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Milton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,718

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,718 in Milton versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Milton $2,718
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,861 in Milton versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Milton $3,861
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,004 in Milton versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Milton $5,004
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Milton is roughly 126% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Milton is 100% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 CA$19.62

$10.92 MX$205

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.3

$43.37 MX$813

63.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.73 CA$12.20

$11.78 MX$221

-25.89%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.19

$3.81 MX$71.4

-2.36%

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

$2.95 CA$4.13

$1.28 MX$24.03

130.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 CA$3.30

$0.78 MX$14.67

202.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$6.92

$3.17 MX$59.3

56.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 CA$8.50

$4.93 MX$92.5

23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.82

$1.41 MX$26.35

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 CA$3.17

$2.22 MX$41.54

2.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 CA$3.58

$1.42 MX$26.56

80.28%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.47

$2.52 MX$47.27

26.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 CA$12.64

$7.26 MX$136

24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.57 CA$31.54

$7.70 MX$144

193.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.80 CA$31.86

$12.69 MX$238

79.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CA$6.94

$2.78 MX$52.2

78.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 CA$1.53

$1.37 MX$25.64

-20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.55 MX$47.80

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.61

$2.12 MX$39.78

89.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.39

$1.94 MX$36.32

25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$1.89 MX$35.34

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.15 MX$21.49

90.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 CA$2.69

$1.18 MX$22.09

63.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.43 CA$15.98

$4.30 MX$80.5

165.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 CA$18.68

$9.95 MX$186

34.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 CA$2.91

$1.58 MX$29.67

32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.67 MX$50.1

-1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.87

$0.55 MX$10.37

403.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 CA$79.0

$26.62 MX$499

112.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 CA$4.59

$4.97 MX$93.1

-33.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 CA$2.18

$3.33 MX$62.4

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.41 CA$39.70

$5.36 MX$100

430.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.51

$1.44 MX$27.06

-25.00%

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

$23.8K CA$33.2K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

15.04%

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

$18.8K CA$26.3K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

-19.70%

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

$230 CA$321

$84.8 MX$1,589

171.28%

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

$55.1 CA$77.0

$23.41 MX$439

135.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 CA$74.6

$28.66 MX$537

86.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.90 CA$60.0

$57.1 MX$1,069

-24.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.76 CA$29.01

$28.91 MX$542

-28.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.47 CA$20.23

$5.14 MX$96.3

181.52%

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

$401 CA$560

$207 MX$3,871

93.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

174.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 CA$97.3

$43.35 MX$812

60.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.46 CA$64.9

$41.44 MX$777

12.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$127

$74.2 MX$1,390

22.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 CA$202

$89.3 MX$1,672

62.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 CA$2,137

$980 MX$18.4K

56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 CA$1,966

$381 MX$7,136

269.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 CA$3,562

$1,708 MX$32.0K

49.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 CA$2,948

$1,075 MX$20.1K

96.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,836 CA$6,760

$3,943 MX$73.9K

22.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,132 CA$5,774

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-32.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,138 CA$4,385

$735 MX$13.8K

327.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

11.45

-50.31%

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

Last update for Milton: 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

Milton

$1.4K 51.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Milton

$423 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 39.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milton

$338 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.6% $202

Eating Out

Milton

$241 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 16.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Milton

$158 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.4% $47

Getting Around

Milton

$79 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 35.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Milton

$72 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Milton and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Milton vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Milton

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

Same time as Milton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,128

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

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Highest

Between locations

Milton Playa del Carmen 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Milton
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,718 in Milton and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Milton is about 4.3 times higher, 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: $1,529 in Milton versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 53% less than in Milton. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $401 in Milton versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,718 in Milton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Milton. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Milton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.