Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,410 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
Learn more

Cambridge Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cambridge Bay $2,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,214 in Cambridge Bay.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cambridge Bay $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,019 in Cambridge Bay.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cambridge Bay $4,019

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 50% less than in Cambridge Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Cambridge Bay is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$198

$21.76 CA$30.93

-50.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$791

$64.7 CA$92.0

-33.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$217

$9.24 CA$13.14

27.60%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.1

$3.71 CA$5.27

4.31%

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

$1.37 MX$25.16

$2.01 CA$2.86

-31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.37

$1.55 CA$2.20

-45.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.0

$5.20 CA$7.40

-40.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.1

$6.17 CA$8.77

-17.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.41

$1.97 CA$2.81

-26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.02

$2.53 CA$3.59

-11.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.04

$3.27 CA$4.65

-55.05%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.48

$3.35 CA$4.77

-24.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$134

$9.71 CA$13.81

-24.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$11.57 CA$16.45

-32.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$235

$15.03 CA$21.38

-14.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.3

$3.83 CA$5.44

-24.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.40

$1.28 CA$1.81

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$46.84

$3.23 CA$4.59

-21.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.84

$3.42 CA$4.86

-39.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.79

$2.82 CA$4.00

-29.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.88

$2.23 CA$3.16

-9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.91

$2.75 CA$3.91

-56.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.11

$1.52 CA$2.16

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.0

$14.50 CA$20.62

-69.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$176

$12.23 CA$17.39

-21.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.27

$2.74 CA$3.90

-41.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.7

$3.18 CA$4.52

-11.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.41

$2.59 CA$3.68

-77.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$512

$64.5 CA$91.7

-56.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$91.7

$2.83 CA$4.02

75.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.3

$1.53 CA$2.18

128.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.3

$20.29 CA$28.84

-73.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.94

$1.18 CA$1.68

24.58%

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

$21.0K MX$385.9K

$25.7K CA$36.5K

-18.22%

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

$23.9K MX$439.6K

$19.1K CA$27.2K

25.04%

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

$84.2 MX$1,548

$128 CA$181

-33.98%

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

$23.99 MX$441

$37.88 CA$53.9

-36.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$534

$53.7 CA$76.4

-45.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,158

$38.55 CA$54.8

63.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$536

$16.98 CA$24.14

71.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$90.9

$12.66 CA$18.00

-60.98%

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

$204 MX$3,744

$669 CA$951

-69.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.5K

$13.3K CA$18.9K

-70.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$802

$58.9 CA$83.7

-25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$793

$42.41 CA$60.3

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,393

$74.1 CA$105

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,629

$89.2 CA$127

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.5K

$1,316 CA$1,871

-23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,877

$1,277 CA$1,815

-70.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.4K

$2,017 CA$2,867

-15.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.3K

$1,446 CA$2,056

-23.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.5K

$4,510 CA$6,413

-12.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.4K

$3,974 CA$5,651

55.22%

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 Cambridge Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cambridge Bay

$1.3K 53% 241% $903

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cambridge Bay

$347 14.4% 34.3% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cambridge Bay

$299 12.4% 47.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cambridge Bay

$219 9.1% 59.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cambridge Bay

$119 4.9% 5.4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cambridge Bay

$64 2.7% 12.4% $9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cambridge Bay

$85 3.5% 62.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,316 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $65.0 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $347 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.6 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cambridge Bay 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Cambridge Bay differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $2,410 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $3,615 in Cambridge Bay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,316 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 132% less than in Cambridge Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cambridge Bay. 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 99% less than in Cambridge Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.