Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Ottawa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ottawa $2,416
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,537 per month in Ottawa vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ottawa $3,537
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Ottawa vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ottawa $4,658
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Ottawa costs about 101% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ottawa sits 78% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$10.86 MX$201

62.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$44.21 MX$817

77.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$11.76 MX$217

-9.78%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.68 MX$68.0

9.78%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.34 MX$24.79

55.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.82 MX$15.24

113.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$3.06 MX$56.6

86.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$4.94 MX$91.2

30.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.47 MX$27.17

63.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$2.22 MX$40.95

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.48 MX$27.32

94.59%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.49 MX$45.99

29.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$7.52 MX$139

53.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$7.96 MX$147

45.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$12.57 MX$232

51.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$2.78 MX$51.3

34.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.43 MX$26.37

-11.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$2.62 MX$48.37

48.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$2.14 MX$39.49

68.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.02 MX$37.38

27.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.99 MX$36.74

20.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.14 MX$21.01

128.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.20 MX$22.18

22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$4.26 MX$78.7

239.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$10.02 MX$185

24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$1.54 MX$28.41

69.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.66 MX$49.17

19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$0.53 MX$9.73

452.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$27.51 MX$508

243.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$4.90 MX$90.6

-45.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$5.38 MX$99.4

254.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.45 MX$26.76

-15.17%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

30.32%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-3.23%

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

$139 CA$196

$85.4 MX$1,577

62.83%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$23.46 MX$434

59.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$28.43 MX$525

79.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$62.2 MX$1,149

-22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$28.68 MX$530

-2.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$5.10 MX$94.3

148.63%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$201 MX$3,715

361.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

306.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$44.39 MX$820

29.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$41.35 MX$764

-9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$72.7 MX$1,344

41.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$89.6 MX$1,656

8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$979 MX$18.1K

46.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$373 MX$6,887

225.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$1,681 MX$31.1K

37.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,095 MX$20.2K

70.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$3,949 MX$73.0K

9.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-25.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$738 MX$13.6K

405.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

11.45

-63.67%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 69.3% $842

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30.6% $114

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 28% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 16% $21

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 55.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 1.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Ottawa versus $979 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 406% higher in Ottawa, 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 $79.0 in Ottawa versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h behind Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Ottawa Playa del Carmen 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,623 per month in Ottawa 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,416 in Ottawa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 101%.

Public transport costs about 244% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ottawa at $2,416. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,416 in Ottawa. 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.