Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Courtenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,184 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Courtenay
Learn more

Courtenay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Courtenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,184 in Courtenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Courtenay $2,184

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,080 in Courtenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Courtenay $3,080

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,975 in Courtenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Courtenay $3,975

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

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Courtenay is 60% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$14.38 CA$20.09

-24.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$57.2 CA$79.9

-24.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.76 CA$13.64

20.70%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.68 CA$5.14

3.53%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.04 CA$2.85

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.55 CA$2.17

-49.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.79 CA$8.09

-45.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.74 CA$8.02

-14.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.41 CA$3.37

-41.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.05 CA$2.87

8.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.08 CA$2.91

-31.73%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.20 CA$4.47

-21.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.17 CA$14.20

-28.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.20 CA$12.85

-16.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$19.79 CA$27.64

-35.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.30 CA$4.61

-15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.31 CA$1.83

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.35 CA$3.28

8.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.07 CA$4.29

-30.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.65 CA$3.71

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.15 CA$3.00

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.07 CA$2.89

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.64 CA$2.29

-28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$14.20 CA$19.84

-69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.89 CA$15.22

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.59 CA$3.62

-39.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.44 CA$3.40

9.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.94 CA$2.71

-71.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$42.49 CA$59.4

-37.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.75 CA$3.84

80.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.40 CA$1.96

137.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.82 CA$24.89

-69.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.28 CA$1.78

12.50%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$20.8K CA$29.1K

-0.86%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$18.2K CA$25.5K

28.58%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$139 CA$194

-38.97%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$36.71 CA$51.3

-36.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$65.3 CA$91.3

-56.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$42.38 CA$59.2

34.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$38.49 CA$53.8

-24.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$10.78 CA$15.06

-52.32%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$648 CA$906

-68.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$12.3K CA$17.2K

-68.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$56.9 CA$79.5

-23.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$45.43 CA$63.5

-8.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$78.5 CA$110

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$59.8 CA$83.5

49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,219 CA$1,703

-19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,137 CA$1,588

-66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,043 CA$2,854

-16.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,629 CA$2,277

-34.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$5,318 CA$7,429

-25.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,239 CA$4,525

-77.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.87

135.11%

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 Courtenay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Courtenay

$1.1K 52.1% 199% $756

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Courtenay

$331 15.1% 29.8% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Courtenay

$243 11.1% 20.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Courtenay

$241 11% 76.1% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Courtenay

$108 5% 3.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Courtenay

$64 2.9% 5% $3.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Courtenay

$60 2.8% 19% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,219 in Courtenay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Courtenay are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $57 in Courtenay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $331 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Courtenay

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

25,599

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Courtenay 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Courtenay

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 Courtenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,276 in Courtenay. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,219 in Courtenay.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Courtenay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $57 in Courtenay. 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 $1,204, than in Courtenay at $2,184. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Courtenay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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