Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Alert

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,220 in Alert, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Alert
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Alert Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Alert

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Alert

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Alert actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,220 in Alert, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Alert $2,220

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,195 in Alert, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Alert $3,195

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,171 in Alert, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Alert $4,171

Playa del Carmen is about 46% cheaper than Alert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Alert is 64% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$17.69 CA$25.01

-38.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$65.0 CA$91.9

-31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.53 CA$14.89

11.68%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.51 CA$4.96

4.84%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.01 CA$2.84

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.56 CA$2.20

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.34 CA$7.54

-42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.58 CA$7.89

-11.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.05 CA$2.89

-28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.45 CA$3.46

-9.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.29 CA$4.64

-55.02%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.42 CA$4.84

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$9.50 CA$13.43

-20.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.41 CA$16.13

-30.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$14.63 CA$20.68

-14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.85 CA$5.44

-27.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.27 CA$1.79

12.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.69 CA$5.22

-29.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.71 CA$5.25

-42.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.44 CA$3.45

-17.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.24 CA$3.17

-11.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.36 CA$3.34

-51.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.55 CA$2.19

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$14.25 CA$20.14

-70.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.40 CA$17.53

-19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.61 CA$3.69

-41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.96 CA$4.19

-10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.25 CA$3.18

-76.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$61.2 CA$86.5

-55.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.88 CA$4.07

70.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.43 CA$2.02

139.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$22.87 CA$32.33

-76.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.17 CA$1.66

23.93%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

-22.42%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$19.3K CA$27.3K

19.01%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$132 CA$186

-35.26%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$37.42 CA$52.9

-37.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$54.2 CA$76.7

-47.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$40.55 CA$57.3

53.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$17.87 CA$25.26

60.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$11.20 CA$15.84

-54.46%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$752 CA$1,063

-73.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$13.2K CA$18.7K

-70.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$53.0 CA$74.9

-16.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$38.42 CA$54.3

7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$83.8 CA$118

-13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$103 CA$145

-12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,220 CA$1,725

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,116 CA$1,577

-66.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,940 CA$2,743

-13.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,667 CA$2,357

-34.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,131 CA$5,840

-4.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$3,514 CA$4,968

74.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.66

145.71%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Alert: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Alert

$1.1K 50.3% 199% $743

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Alert

$345 15.5% 33.5% $87

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Alert

$267 12% 33.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Alert

$224 10.1% 62.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Alert

$125 5.6% 12% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Alert

$63 2.8% 13% $9.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Alert

$80 3.6% 55.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,220 in Alert. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $65.0 in Alert. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $345 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Alert

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Alert 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Alert

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,220 in Alert – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,330 in Alert. 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.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Alert, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $65.0 in Alert. 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 Alert at $2,220. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alert 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 $2,220 in Alert. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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