Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peterborough, Canada and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,160 in Peterborough, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index
58

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

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Peterborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,160

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,160 in Peterborough versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Peterborough $2,160
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,020 in Peterborough versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Peterborough $3,020
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Peterborough versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Peterborough $3,879
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Peterborough is roughly 79% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Peterborough is 59% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.34 CA$18.65

$10.92 MX$203

22.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$43.37 MX$805

62.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$14.87

$11.78 MX$219

-9.76%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.09

$3.81 MX$70.7

-4.46%

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

$1.68 CA$2.35

$1.28 MX$23.81

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$0.78 MX$14.54

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 CA$8.04

$3.17 MX$58.8

81.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 CA$8.13

$4.93 MX$91.7

18.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 CA$3.42

$1.41 MX$26.12

73.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 CA$3.29

$2.22 MX$41.17

6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.42 MX$26.32

73.94%

Eggs

$3.26 CA$4.55

$2.52 MX$46.85

29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 CA$15.49

$7.26 MX$135

52.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.43 CA$15.98

$7.70 MX$143

48.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.94 CA$18.10

$12.69 MX$236

1.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 CA$4.68

$2.78 MX$51.7

20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 CA$1.99

$1.37 MX$25.41

3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 CA$4.64

$2.55 MX$47.37

30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$2.12 MX$39.43

90.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.34

$1.94 MX$36.00

-13.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.13

$1.89 MX$35.02

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CA$3.20

$1.15 MX$21.29

99.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$1.18 MX$21.89

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 CA$15.75

$4.30 MX$79.8

161.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.79 CA$17.88

$9.95 MX$185

28.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.26

$1.58 MX$29.41

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$2.67 MX$49.60

-41.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$0.55 MX$10.28

367.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 CA$77.3

$26.62 MX$494

107.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 CA$4.16

$4.97 MX$92.3

-40.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 CA$1.74

$3.33 MX$61.9

-62.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.47 CA$30.02

$5.36 MX$99.5

300.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.60

$1.44 MX$26.82

-20.14%

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

$26.6K CA$37.1K

$20.7K MX$383.8K

28.48%

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

$20.9K CA$29.2K

$23.5K MX$435.8K

-10.87%

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

$137 CA$192

$84.8 MX$1,575

61.54%

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

$35.01 CA$48.96

$23.41 MX$435

49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 CA$62.8

$28.66 MX$532

56.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.58 CA$51.2

$57.1 MX$1,059

-35.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.34 CA$20.06

$28.91 MX$537

-50.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 CA$15.87

$5.14 MX$95.4

120.82%

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

$351 CA$491

$207 MX$3,836

69.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K CA$14.8K

$3,927 MX$72.9K

169.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.16 CA$61.8

$43.35 MX$805

1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.20 CA$53.4

$41.44 MX$770

-7.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 CA$120

$74.2 MX$1,378

16.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 CA$104

$89.3 MX$1,657

-16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 CA$1,853

$980 MX$18.2K

35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 CA$1,578

$381 MX$7,072

196.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 CA$2,804

$1,708 MX$31.7K

17.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 CA$2,107

$1,075 MX$20.0K

40.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,583 CA$9,205

$3,943 MX$73.2K

66.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,316 CA$8,832

$6,158 MX$114.4K

2.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 CA$4,258

$735 MX$13.6K

314.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

11.45

-60.26%

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

Last update for Peterborough: October 27, 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

Peterborough

$1.1K 52.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.3% $748

Groceries & Markets

Peterborough

$336 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.2% $82

Eating Out

Peterborough

$235 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 13.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Peterborough

$217 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Peterborough

$109 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.3% $2.5

Getting Around

Peterborough

$75 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 32.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Peterborough

$59 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,325 in Peterborough and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Peterborough pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Peterborough vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Peterborough

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

Same time as Peterborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,032

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Peterborough Playa del Carmen 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Peterborough
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

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

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

Average pay in Peterborough is about 4.1 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: $1,325 in Peterborough versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 52% less than in Peterborough. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $351 in Peterborough versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,160 in Peterborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Peterborough. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Peterborough, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Peterborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.