Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Montreal costs about 71% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$10.92 MX$203

73.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$43.37 MX$808

68.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$11.78 MX$219

-7.64%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.81 MX$71.0

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.28 MX$23.89

51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$0.78 MX$14.58

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$3.17 MX$59.0

100.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$4.93 MX$91.9

47.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.41 MX$26.20

58.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.22 MX$41.30

42.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$1.42 MX$26.40

133.10%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$2.52 MX$47.00

44.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$7.26 MX$135

81.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$7.70 MX$143

50.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$12.69 MX$236

8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$2.78 MX$51.9

18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.37 MX$25.49

6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.55 MX$47.52

32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$2.12 MX$39.55

48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$1.94 MX$36.11

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.89 MX$35.13

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.15 MX$21.36

114.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.18 MX$21.96

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$4.30 MX$80.0

162.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$9.95 MX$185

5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.58 MX$29.50

48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.67 MX$49.76

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$0.55 MX$10.31

374.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$26.62 MX$496

197.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$4.97 MX$92.6

-34.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$3.33 MX$62.1

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$5.36 MX$99.8

523.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.44 MX$26.90

-7.64%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

38.55%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-10.08%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$84.8 MX$1,580

-5.58%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$23.41 MX$436

46.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$28.66 MX$534

49.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$57.1 MX$1,063

-45.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$28.91 MX$539

-32.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$5.14 MX$95.7

118.48%

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

$525 CA$734

$207 MX$3,848

154.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

315.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$43.35 MX$808

33.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$41.44 MX$772

-8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$74.2 MX$1,382

25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$89.3 MX$1,663

23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$980 MX$18.2K

31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$381 MX$7,095

156.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$1,708 MX$31.8K

32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$1,075 MX$20.0K

54.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$3,943 MX$73.5K

30.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-37.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$735 MX$13.7K

308.72%

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 Montreal: October 25, 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

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 61% $596

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.5% $96

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 30.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 13% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.2% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 25.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $980 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 in Montreal are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Playa del Carmen 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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

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

Montreal costs about 71% 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Montreal, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Montreal at $2,064. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,064 in Montreal. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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