Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cochrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochrane: $1,074 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cochrane
Learn more

Cochrane Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cochrane

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,074 in Cochrane.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cochrane $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,385 in Cochrane.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cochrane $2,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,696 in Cochrane.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cochrane $3,696

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cochrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Cochrane 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$17.47 CA$24.70

-38.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$70.2 CA$99.3

-38.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.90 CA$14.00

19.09%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.82 CA$5.40

1.31%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.33 CA$3.29

-41.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.62 CA$2.29

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.69 CA$8.04

-45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.72 CA$8.08

-11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.56 CA$2.20

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.07 CA$2.93

7.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.98 CA$4.21

-50.67%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.22 CA$4.55

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.58 CA$12.13

-14.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.42 CA$11.90

-6.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.57 CA$12.12

49.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$4.29 CA$6.07

-32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.37 CA$1.94

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$4.38 CA$6.19

-41.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.43 CA$2.03

44.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.37 CA$1.94

45.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.77 CA$2.50

13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.43 CA$3.44

-51.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.75 CA$2.48

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$13.80 CA$19.51

-68.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$8.16 CA$11.54

17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.08 CA$4.36

-48.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.96 CA$4.18

-5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.46 CA$4.89

-83.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.92 CA$4.13

70.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.38 CA$1.95

153.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$21.32 CA$30.15

-74.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.06 CA$1.50

38.68%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-24.01%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$19.5K CA$27.6K

22.30%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$207 CA$292

-59.28%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$42.87 CA$60.6

-44.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$54.4 CA$76.9

-46.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$44.82 CA$63.4

40.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$12.90 CA$18.24

-61.71%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$752 CA$1,063

-72.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$9,571 CA$13.5K

-58.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$42.60 CA$60.2

2.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$45.15 CA$63.8

-4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$83.3 CA$118

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$94.7 CA$134

-6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,182 CA$1,671

-14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,725 CA$2,438

-0.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,344 CA$1,900

-17.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$22.6K CA$31.9K

-82.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$4,061 CA$5,740

-81.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.32

165.05%

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 Cochrane: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cochrane

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cochrane

$285 26.5% 10.3% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cochrane

$271 25.2% 34% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cochrane

$304 28.3% 122% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cochrane

$120 11.1% 5.9% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cochrane

$71 6.6% 3.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cochrane

$24 * 2.2% 55% $29

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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cochrane pays 438% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $70.0 in Cochrane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $285 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Cochrane

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cochrane 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cochrane

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 Cochrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cochrane wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cochrane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 438% lower in Cochrane. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,074 in Cochrane – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,074 in Cochrane versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cochrane but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cochrane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cochrane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,074 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cochrane hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Cochrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.