Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Creston

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,156 in Creston, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Creston
Learn more

Creston Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Creston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,156 in Creston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Creston $2,156

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,178 in Creston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Creston $3,178

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,200 in Creston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Creston $4,200

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper than Creston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Creston is 58% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$17.53 CA$24.49

-37.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$63.8 CA$89.1

-32.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$9.79 CA$13.68

20.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.17 CA$5.82

-8.63%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.07 CA$2.90

-38.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.41 CA$1.97

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.24 CA$7.32

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.44 CA$7.60

-9.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.14 CA$2.99

-34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.79 CA$3.90

-20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.80 CA$5.31

-62.63%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$4.44 CA$6.20

-43.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.29 CA$14.38

-29.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$12.05 CA$16.83

-36.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.85 CA$20.76

-14.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.78 CA$5.28

-26.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.36 CA$1.91

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.40 CA$4.75

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.28 CA$4.59

-35.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.23 CA$3.12

-13.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.22 CA$3.10

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.74 CA$3.82

-58.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.77 CA$2.47

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$13.96 CA$19.51

-69.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.59 CA$16.19

-14.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.95 CA$4.13

-46.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.16 CA$4.41

-15.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.64 CA$3.70

-79.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$54.2 CA$75.8

-50.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.97 CA$4.15

67.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.48 CA$2.06

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$23.87 CA$33.36

-77.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.17 CA$1.64

23.08%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$30.1K CA$42.0K

-31.25%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$21.0K CA$29.3K

11.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$135 CA$188

-37.08%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$39.04 CA$54.6

-40.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$54.5 CA$76.1

-47.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$41.90 CA$58.5

36.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$16.08 CA$22.47

79.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.66 CA$14.90

-51.78%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$696 CA$973

-70.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$13.7K CA$19.1K

-71.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$55.9 CA$78.2

-22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$33.78 CA$47.19

22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$92.8 CA$130

-20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$99.8 CA$139

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,440 CA$2,012

-31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,029 CA$1,438

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,949 CA$2,724

-12.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,656 CA$2,313

-35.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,461 CA$6,233

-11.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$3,715 CA$5,191

65.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.68

144.66%

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 Creston: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Creston

$1K 47.7% 170% $648

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Creston

$363 16.8% 42.3% $108

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Creston

$271 12.6% 33.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Creston

$228 10.6% 66.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Creston

$127 5.9% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Creston

$63 2.9% 6.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Creston

$75 3.5% 48.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,440 in Creston. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $64 in Creston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $363 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Creston

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,583

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Creston 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Creston

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 Creston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Creston is pricier by about 79%, 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 $3,234 in Creston. 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 $1,440 in Creston.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,156 in Creston. That makes Playa del Carmen about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 51% 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 $1,204, than in Creston at $2,156. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Creston 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.