Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Campbell River

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,387 in Campbell River, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Campbell River
Learn more

Campbell River Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Campbell River

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Campbell River

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 Campbell River actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,387 in Campbell River.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Campbell River $2,387

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,509 in Campbell River.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Campbell River $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,631 in Campbell River.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Campbell River $4,631

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 50% less than in Campbell River, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Campbell River is 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$19.49 CA$27.24

-43.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$72.2 CA$101

-39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.79 CA$15.08

9.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.37 CA$6.11

-12.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$2.30 CA$3.21

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.97 CA$1.35

-19.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$5.75 CA$8.04

-44.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$6.30 CA$8.80

-21.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.79 CA$3.90

-49.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$2.98 CA$4.16

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$4.07 CA$5.69

-65.11%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$4.30 CA$6.02

-41.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.36 CA$11.68

-13.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.75 CA$13.63

-21.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.64 CA$20.47

-13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.13 CA$4.38

-11.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.46 CA$2.04

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$3.47 CA$4.85

-26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$3.55 CA$4.96

-40.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$3.59 CA$5.02

-45.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$2.80 CA$3.91

-32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$3.25 CA$4.54

-64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$2.57 CA$3.59

-54.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$15.12 CA$21.13

-71.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$18.18 CA$25.42

-45.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$4.00 CA$5.59

-60.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.54 CA$4.95

-24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$1.39 CA$1.94

-60.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$2.72 CA$3.80

82.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.57 CA$2.20

112.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$34.74 CA$48.55

-84.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.29 CA$1.80

11.63%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$28.2K CA$39.4K

-26.62%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$21.4K CA$29.9K

9.62%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$53.2 CA$74.4

59.32%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$43.75 CA$61.2

-46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$61.3 CA$85.6

-53.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$46.64 CA$65.2

22.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$10.72 CA$14.98

-52.05%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$890 CA$1,244

-76.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$23.7K CA$33.1K

-83.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$44.31 CA$61.9

-2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$44.23 CA$61.8

-6.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$71.0 CA$99.3

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$92.1 CA$129

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,482 CA$2,072

-33.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$1,347 CA$1,883

-71.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$2,236 CA$3,125

-23.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$2,179 CA$3,045

-50.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,313 CA$3,233

-68.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.31

165.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Campbell River: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Campbell River

$1.3K 56.4% 254% $967

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Campbell River

$389 16.3% 52.5% $134

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Campbell River

$295 12.4% 45.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Campbell River

$158 6.6% 15.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Campbell River

$113 4.8% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Campbell River

$68 2.9% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Campbell River

$16 * 0.7% 68% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,482 in Campbell River. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Campbell River pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $72 in Campbell River for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $389 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Campbell River

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

36,455

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Campbell River 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Campbell River

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 Campbell River: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Campbell River. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,482 in Campbell River. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Campbell River. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,387 in Campbell River – Playa del Carmen is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,387 in Campbell River, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Campbell River. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Campbell River on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.