Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
57

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

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,370 in Oshawa versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Oshawa $2,370
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Oshawa versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Oshawa $3,414
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Oshawa versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Oshawa $4,457
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Oshawa is roughly 97% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Oshawa is 75% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 CA$19.98

$10.67 MX$200

33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$89.1

$43.80 MX$823

45.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 CA$11.67

$11.79 MX$221

-29.35%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$4.97

$3.79 MX$71.1

-6.60%

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

$1.77 CA$2.48

$1.30 MX$24.36

36.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$0.83 MX$15.65

63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.81

$3.15 MX$59.1

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 CA$8.47

$4.93 MX$92.7

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$1.41 MX$26.46

106.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.20 MX$41.23

32.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.77

$1.47 MX$27.66

180.27%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.16

$2.50 MX$46.89

18.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.21

$7.29 MX$137

39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 CA$19.27

$7.95 MX$149

72.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 CA$23.27

$12.86 MX$242

29.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.89

$2.90 MX$54.4

44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.38 MX$25.98

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.12

$2.49 MX$46.78

18.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.39

$2.03 MX$38.12

89.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.71

$2.02 MX$38.03

66.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$1.90 MX$35.74

35.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$1.14 MX$21.49

106.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$1.24 MX$23.27

39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$20.03

$4.27 MX$80.2

234.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 CA$17.70

$9.81 MX$184

28.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 CA$4.94

$1.59 MX$29.78

122.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.89

$2.75 MX$51.6

26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.95

$0.51 MX$9.67

452.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 CA$122

$27.39 MX$514

218.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$4.76 MX$89.4

-42.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$3.25 MX$61.0

-55.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.44

$5.39 MX$101

263.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.53 MX$28.70

-18.95%

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

$28.8K CA$40.3K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

35.67%

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

$22.9K CA$32.1K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

-1.49%

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

$139 CA$195

$83.5 MX$1,568

66.42%

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

$37.94 CA$53.2

$23.19 MX$435

63.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$76.2

$27.61 MX$519

96.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 CA$32.11

$56.4 MX$1,060

-59.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.28 CA$41.05

$28.19 MX$529

3.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.23

$5.00 MX$93.9

117.20%

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

$922 CA$1,292

$207 MX$3,889

345.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,083 CA$11.3K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

54.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$81.7

$43.45 MX$816

34.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 CA$80.8

$42.54 MX$799

35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 CA$150

$72.8 MX$1,367

47.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 CA$181

$88.4 MX$1,660

45.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 CA$1,963

$995 MX$18.7K

40.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,692

$382 MX$7,181

215.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,807

$1,674 MX$31.4K

19.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,556

$1,081 MX$20.3K

68.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,158 CA$7,230

$3,909 MX$73.4K

31.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CA$14.5K

$6,138 MX$115.3K

68.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,274

$832 MX$15.6K

266.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

11.45

-60.44%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 68.3% $825

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$390 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 34% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$231 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 41.9% $97

Eating Out

Oshawa

$230 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 13.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$158 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 29.8% $47

Getting Around

Oshawa

$108 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$45 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 48.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Oshawa and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Oshawa vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

Same time as Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oshawa Playa del Carmen 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Oshawa. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Oshawa is about 3.7 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: $1,400 in Oshawa versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $64 in Oshawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,370 per month in Oshawa versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,370 in Oshawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oshawa. 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 49% less than in Oshawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.