Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moncton and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,006 in Moncton, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Moncton
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Moncton Living Index
59

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

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Moncton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,006

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,006 per month in Moncton vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moncton $2,006
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,025 per month in Moncton vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moncton $3,025
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,045 per month in Moncton vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Moncton $4,045
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Moncton costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Moncton sits 49% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 CA$25.64

$10.76 MX$199

68.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 CA$93.6

$43.03 MX$795

53.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 CA$15.05

$11.79 MX$218

-9.75%

Cappuccino

$3.59 CA$5.07

$3.87 MX$71.4

-7.24%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.37 MX$25.29

48.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.61

$0.84 MX$15.44

120.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 CA$6.30

$3.10 MX$57.3

43.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 CA$7.86

$5.07 MX$93.6

9.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 CA$4.09

$1.44 MX$26.55

101.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.23 MX$41.23

24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.75

$1.47 MX$27.17

128.57%

Eggs

$3.80 CA$5.37

$2.53 MX$46.71

50.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 CA$18.36

$7.30 MX$135

77.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.14 CA$21.40

$7.86 MX$145

92.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.48

$12.79 MX$236

2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 CA$7.95

$2.90 MX$53.6

94.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.44 MX$26.53

10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 CA$6.40

$2.55 MX$47.07

77.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 CA$8.13

$2.06 MX$38.03

179.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$2.00 MX$36.97

3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.01 MX$37.07

8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$1.19 MX$22.02

110.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.26 MX$23.23

69.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.12 CA$19.96

$4.40 MX$81.4

220.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 CA$20.09

$9.59 MX$177

48.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 CA$4.52

$1.59 MX$29.41

101.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 CA$5.55

$2.81 MX$51.9

39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.57 MX$10.47

271.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.88 CA$69.1

$27.82 MX$514

75.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$4.98 MX$92.1

-41.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$3.50 MX$64.6

-61.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.19 CA$29.96

$5.40 MX$99.8

292.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$1.47 MX$27.08

-14.97%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

33.18%

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

$19.0K CA$26.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-20.35%

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

$123 CA$174

$84.2 MX$1,556

46.05%

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

$41.82 CA$59.1

$23.99 MX$443

74.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 CA$89.4

$29.02 MX$536

117.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.90 CA$70.5

$63.0 MX$1,164

-20.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 CA$15.57

$29.14 MX$539

-62.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.47 CA$17.63

$4.94 MX$91.3

152.43%

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

$372 CA$526

$204 MX$3,763

82.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K CA$18.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

234.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 CA$85.2

$43.60 MX$806

38.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.74 CA$49.11

$43.12 MX$797

-19.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$141

$75.8 MX$1,400

31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$166

$88.6 MX$1,637

32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 CA$1,430

$1,008 MX$18.6K

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 CA$1,137

$374 MX$6,911

115.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 CA$2,294

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 CA$1,868

$1,106 MX$20.4K

19.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 CA$3,065

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-45.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,036 CA$2,878

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-67.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,405 CA$3,400

$754 MX$13.9K

218.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.45

-59.83%

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

Last update for Moncton: October 12, 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

Moncton

$804 40.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 53.5% $430

Groceries & Markets

Moncton

$422 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 38.8% $164

Eating Out

Moncton

$269 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 24.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moncton

$228 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 39.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Moncton

$141 7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 19.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Moncton

$75 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Moncton

$67 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 21.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,012 in Moncton 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 219% higher in Moncton, 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 $66.0 in Moncton versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Moncton

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

2 h behind Moncton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,000

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moncton Playa del Carmen 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Moncton
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,006 in Moncton, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,009 per month in Moncton 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Moncton and $43.00 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 $2,006 in Moncton and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Moncton at $2,006. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moncton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,006 in Moncton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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