Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Charlottetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Charlottetown
Learn more

Charlottetown Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Charlottetown

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,957 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Charlottetown $1,957

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,920 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Charlottetown $2,920

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,882 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Charlottetown $3,882

Playa del Carmen is about 38% cheaper than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Charlottetown is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$14.00 CA$19.95

-21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$59.2 CA$84.3

-24.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$9.23 CA$13.16

29.14%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.57 CA$5.08

6.44%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.73 CA$2.46

-24.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.29 CA$1.84

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$5.52 CA$7.87

-41.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$5.57 CA$7.94

-10.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.23 CA$3.18

-34.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.99 CA$4.27

-22.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$4.85 CA$6.91

-70.31%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.90 CA$5.56

-36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$11.34 CA$16.16

-32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$14.86 CA$21.18

-46.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$16.99 CA$24.22

-24.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.52 CA$5.02

-17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.45 CA$2.07

-2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$3.91 CA$5.57

-34.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.72 CA$6.73

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.72 CA$2.45

13.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$3.12 CA$4.44

-37.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.67 CA$3.81

-56.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$2.03 CA$2.90

-39.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$17.45 CA$24.87

-74.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$13.70 CA$19.52

-28.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$3.25 CA$4.64

-52.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.09 CA$4.41

-11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.42 CA$2.03

-63.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$14.18 CA$20.21

93.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$7.29 CA$10.39

-32.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.05 CA$2.93

71.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$27.61 CA$39.35

-79.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.24 CA$1.77

24.19%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

-23.05%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$18.3K CA$26.1K

33.52%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$124 CA$177

-32.61%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$32.57 CA$46.42

-26.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$73.0 CA$104

-59.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$56.9 CA$81.1

13.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$3.55 CA$5.06

729.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$10.57 CA$15.07

-51.84%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$157 CA$224

32.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$39.61 CA$56.5

12.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$33.73 CA$48.08

24.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$83.1 CA$118

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$129 CA$184

-29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$1,091 CA$1,555

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$823 CA$1,174

-53.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,747 CA$2,491

-1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,358 CA$1,936

-18.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$3,107 CA$4,428

29.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,923 CA$2,741

224.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,415 CA$3,442

-68.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.58

150.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Charlottetown: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Charlottetown

$823 42.5% 114% $438

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Charlottetown

$408 21.1% 56.9% $148

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Charlottetown

$233 12% 14.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Charlottetown

$230 11.9% 67.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Charlottetown

$129 6.6% 12.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Charlottetown

$78 4% 4% $3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Charlottetown

$37 1.9% 28.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,091 in Charlottetown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 219% higher in Charlottetown, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $59.0 in Charlottetown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $408 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Charlottetown

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

08:44 8:44 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,809

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Charlottetown 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Charlottetown

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 Charlottetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charlottetown costs about 61% 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 $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,936 in Charlottetown. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,957 in Charlottetown. That's a gap of about 61%.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Charlottetown at $1,957. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charlottetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,215 versus $1,957 in Charlottetown. 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, Charlottetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.