Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Burns Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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 Burns Lake
Learn more

Burns Lake Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Burns Lake

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 Burns Lake actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Burns Lake $2,212

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,200 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Burns Lake $3,200

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,187 in Burns Lake, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Burns Lake $4,187

Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper than Burns Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Burns Lake is 64% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$15.66 CA$22.14

-31.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$71.4 CA$101

-39.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$10.40 CA$14.70

13.37%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.73 CA$5.27

3.75%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.06 CA$2.91

-33.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.50 CA$2.12

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$4.83 CA$6.83

-35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.88 CA$6.90

3.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.73 CA$2.45

-16.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.24 CA$3.16

-0.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.49 CA$4.94

-57.88%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.20 CA$4.53

-20.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.50 CA$13.43

-23.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.79 CA$13.84

-19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$12.72 CA$17.99

0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.62 CA$5.12

-19.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.35 CA$1.91

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.81 CA$5.38

-33.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.94 CA$5.57

-47.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.47 CA$3.50

-19.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.03 CA$2.86

-0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.65 CA$3.75

-55.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.80 CA$2.55

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$14.20 CA$20.07

-69.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.85 CA$18.16

-25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.56 CA$3.61

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.71 CA$3.84

3.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.37 CA$3.34

-75.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$55.3 CA$78.1

-49.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.83 CA$4.00

75.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.65 CA$2.33

112.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$22.52 CA$31.84

-76.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.19 CA$1.68

23.53%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$26.0K CA$36.8K

-19.28%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$18.1K CA$25.6K

32.27%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$132 CA$187

-36.27%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$38.50 CA$54.4

-37.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$52.6 CA$74.3

-44.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$40.39 CA$57.1

55.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$18.07 CA$25.54

61.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$11.00 CA$15.56

-55.09%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$756 CA$1,068

-73.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$11.0K CA$15.6K

-64.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$59.6 CA$84.3

-26.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$43.17 CA$61.0

-0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$82.9 CA$117

-8.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$111 CA$157

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,255 CA$1,774

-19.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,137 CA$1,607

-67.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,937 CA$2,739

-11.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,720 CA$2,432

-35.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$4,807 CA$6,795

-17.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$3,129 CA$4,424

97.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Burns Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4% 204% $763

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Burns Lake

$331 15% 28% $72

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Burns Lake

$249 11.3% 23.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Burns Lake

$223 10.1% 62.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Burns Lake

$134 6% 18.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Burns Lake

$62 2.8% 14.4% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Burns Lake

$76 3.4% 44.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,255 in Burns Lake. 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $71.0 in Burns Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $331 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,779

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Burns Lake 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Burns Lake

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 Burns Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burns Lake costs about 83% 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 $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,318 in Burns Lake. 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 28% more in Burns Lake, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $71.0 in Burns Lake. 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 $1,210, than in Burns Lake at $2,212. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burns Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,212 in Burns Lake. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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