Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dartmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,993 in Dartmouth, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dartmouth
Learn more

Dartmouth Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Dartmouth

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,993 in Dartmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Dartmouth $1,993

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,990 in Dartmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Dartmouth $2,990

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,987 in Dartmouth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Dartmouth $3,987

Playa del Carmen is about 39% cheaper than Dartmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Dartmouth is 48% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$198

$10.55 CA$15.00

1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$791

$58.5 CA$83.2

-26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$217

$6.96 CA$9.89

69.40%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.1

$3.56 CA$5.07

8.71%

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

$1.37 MX$25.16

$2.00 CA$2.84

-31.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.37

$1.88 CA$2.68

-55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.0

$4.45 CA$6.33

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.1

$5.70 CA$8.10

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.41

$2.38 CA$3.38

-39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.02

$2.04 CA$2.91

9.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.04

$3.31 CA$4.71

-55.59%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.48

$3.49 CA$4.96

-27.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$134

$7.64 CA$10.86

-4.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$9.18 CA$13.05

-14.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$235

$10.37 CA$14.74

23.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.3

$3.38 CA$4.80

-14.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.40

$1.52 CA$2.16

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$46.84

$4.47 CA$6.36

-42.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.84

$5.75 CA$8.17

-64.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.79

$2.03 CA$2.88

-1.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.88

$2.11 CA$3.00

-4.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$21.91

$2.48 CA$3.53

-52.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.11

$2.13 CA$3.02

-40.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.0

$13.95 CA$19.83

-68.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$176

$14.17 CA$20.15

-32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.27

$3.35 CA$4.77

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.7

$3.87 CA$5.50

-27.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.41

$1.97 CA$2.80

-71.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$512

$59.6 CA$84.7

-53.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$91.7

$2.76 CA$3.92

80.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.3

$1.32 CA$1.87

165.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.3

$21.34 CA$30.34

-74.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.94

$1.12 CA$1.59

31.25%

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

$21.0K MX$385.9K

$28.0K CA$39.8K

-24.97%

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

$23.9K MX$439.6K

$18.9K CA$26.8K

26.73%

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

$84.2 MX$1,548

$77.5 CA$110

8.73%

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

$23.99 MX$441

$41.92 CA$59.6

-42.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$534

$63.3 CA$90.0

-54.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,158

$35.19 CA$50.0

78.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$536

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$90.9

$12.41 CA$17.64

-60.19%

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

$204 MX$3,744

$373 CA$530

-45.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.5K

$13.2K CA$18.8K

-70.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$802

$39.41 CA$56.0

10.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$793

$33.13 CA$47.11

30.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,393

$66.7 CA$94.8

13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,629

$74.6 CA$106

18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.5K

$1,215 CA$1,727

-16.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,877

$1,037 CA$1,475

-63.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.4K

$1,956 CA$2,781

-12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.3K

$1,818 CA$2,585

-39.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,539 CA$3,610

-70.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.6

148.91%

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 Dartmouth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Dartmouth

$1K 52.1% 177% $663

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Dartmouth

$343 17.2% 32.6% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Dartmouth

$197 9.9% 2.5% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Dartmouth

$183 9.2% 33.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Dartmouth

$96 4.8% 14.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Dartmouth

$60 3% 17.6% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Dartmouth

$77 3.9% 46.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,215 in Dartmouth. 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 237% higher in Dartmouth, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $58.0 in Dartmouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $343 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Dartmouth

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

70,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dartmouth 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dartmouth

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 Dartmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $1,993 in Dartmouth – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,989 in Dartmouth. 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,993 in Dartmouth. That's a gap of about 65%.

Public transport costs about 114% 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 $1,210, than in Dartmouth at $1,993. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dartmouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,993 in Dartmouth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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