Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mont-Laurier and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,142 in Mont-Laurier, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Mont-Laurier
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Mont-Laurier Living Index
58

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

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Mont-Laurier

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,142

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Mont-Laurier versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Mont-Laurier $2,142
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,142 in Mont-Laurier versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Mont-Laurier $3,142
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,143 in Mont-Laurier versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Mont-Laurier $4,143
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Mont-Laurier is roughly 78% 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: Mont-Laurier is 57% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 CA$26.26

$10.92 MX$204

71.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 CA$102

$43.37 MX$808

67.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 CA$14.95

$11.78 MX$220

-9.59%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.59

$3.81 MX$71.0

4.46%

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

$2.04 CA$2.86

$1.28 MX$23.90

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.14

$0.78 MX$14.59

96.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 CA$9.04

$3.17 MX$59.0

103.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 CA$10.07

$4.93 MX$92.0

45.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$1.41 MX$26.22

65.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.68

$2.22 MX$41.33

18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$1.42 MX$26.42

73.94%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.85

$2.52 MX$47.03

36.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.88 CA$8.26

$7.26 MX$135

-19.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 CA$16.55

$7.70 MX$143

53.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 CA$19.67

$12.69 MX$237

10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$2.78 MX$51.9

19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.37 MX$25.50

6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.85

$2.55 MX$47.55

35.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 CA$4.26

$2.12 MX$39.58

42.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.94 MX$36.13

-28.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.89 MX$35.16

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 CA$2.70

$1.15 MX$21.37

66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.18

$1.18 MX$21.98

31.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 CA$14.42

$4.30 MX$80.1

138.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 CA$8.87

$9.95 MX$185

-36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$1.58 MX$29.52

48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 CA$4.15

$2.67 MX$49.79

10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$0.55 MX$10.31

350.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.6 CA$75.2

$26.62 MX$496

101.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$4.97 MX$92.6

-36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.10

$3.33 MX$62.1

-54.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 CA$46.73

$5.36 MX$99.8

521.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.44 MX$26.92

-22.22%

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

$28.4K CA$39.8K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

37.37%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-10.70%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$84.8 MX$1,581

-8.46%

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

$35.37 CA$49.63

$23.41 MX$436

51.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.59 CA$61.2

$28.66 MX$534

52.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.80 CA$53.0

$57.1 MX$1,063

-33.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 CA$24.80

$28.91 MX$539

-38.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 CA$15.71

$5.14 MX$95.8

117.70%

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

$518 CA$727

$207 MX$3,851

150.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

314.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 CA$81.7

$43.35 MX$808

34.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.10 CA$54.9

$41.44 MX$772

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 CA$133

$74.2 MX$1,383

27.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CA$156

$89.3 MX$1,664

24.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,823

$980 MX$18.3K

32.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 CA$1,565

$381 MX$7,099

192.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 CA$2,756

$1,708 MX$31.8K

14.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 CA$2,368

$1,075 MX$20.0K

56.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,817

$3,943 MX$73.5K

5.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,923 CA$5,505

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-36.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.45

-60.87%

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

Last update for Mont-Laurier: October 26, 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

Mont-Laurier

$1.1K 52.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 65.9% $734

Groceries & Markets

Mont-Laurier

$309 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.6% $54

Eating Out

Mont-Laurier

$290 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mont-Laurier

$157 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Mont-Laurier

$137 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.2% $25

Getting Around

Mont-Laurier

$74 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mont-Laurier

$60 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 11.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,299 in Mont-Laurier and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Mont-Laurier vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Mont-Laurier

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

1 h behind Mont-Laurier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,405

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mont-Laurier Playa del Carmen 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mont-Laurier
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,213 in Mont-Laurier and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,299 in Mont-Laurier versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Mont-Laurier. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $73 in Mont-Laurier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,142 in Mont-Laurier, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mont-Laurier. 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 44% less than in Mont-Laurier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.