Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Estevan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,230 in Estevan, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Estevan
Learn more

Estevan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Estevan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,230 in Estevan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Estevan $2,230

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,133 in Estevan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Estevan $3,133

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,037 in Estevan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Estevan $4,037

Playa del Carmen is about 46% cheaper than Estevan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Estevan is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$21.21 CA$29.99

-48.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$66.3 CA$93.8

-33.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.54 CA$7.83

112.27%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.16 CA$3.06

70.37%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.25 CA$3.18

-40.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.78 CA$2.52

-53.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.76 CA$9.55

-54.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$5.88 CA$8.31

-15.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.97 CA$1.37

51.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.16 CA$1.64

91.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.10 CA$4.38

-52.26%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.94 CA$2.75

28.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.71 CA$19.38

-45.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.36 CA$8.99

25.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$16.11 CA$22.77

-21.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.18 CA$5.90

-33.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.19 CA$1.68

20.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.93 CA$5.56

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.57 CA$5.05

-40.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.29 CA$3.23

-11.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.37 CA$3.35

-16.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.40 CA$1.98

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.41 CA$0.57

192.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$14.50 CA$20.50

-70.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$13.39 CA$18.93

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.46 CA$4.90

-55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.30 CA$4.67

-19.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.00 CA$2.83

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$61.5 CA$87.0

-55.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.70 CA$5.22

32.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.80 CA$1.13

328.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$21.13 CA$29.87

-74.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.14 CA$1.61

27.19%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$28.0K CA$39.5K

-24.34%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$21.6K CA$30.5K

6.55%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$127 CA$179

-32.58%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$51.7 CA$73.0

-54.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$56.3 CA$79.6

-49.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$40.96 CA$57.9

51.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$19.95 CA$28.21

43.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.44 CA$14.76

-51.15%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$466 CA$659

-56.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$10.7K CA$15.1K

-63.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$52.0 CA$73.5

-14.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$37.50 CA$53.0

10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$94.2 CA$133

-22.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$108 CA$153

-17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,242 CA$1,756

-21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,154 CA$1,631

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,881 CA$2,659

-10.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,584 CA$2,240

-30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,391 CA$6,208

-10.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$3,310 CA$4,680

85.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$4,314 CA$6,099

-82.90%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Estevan: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Estevan

$1.2K 51.7% 210% $781

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Estevan

$297 13.3% 15% $39

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Estevan

$274 12.3% 36.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Estevan

$235 10.5% 70.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Estevan

$131 5.9% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Estevan

$62 2.8% 14.6% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Estevan

$77 3.5% 49.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,242 in Estevan. 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 485% higher in Estevan, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $66.0 in Estevan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $297 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Estevan

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,054

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Estevan 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Estevan

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 Estevan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,230 in Estevan – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,344 in Estevan. 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.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $466 in Estevan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Estevan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Estevan at $2,230. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Estevan 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,230 in Estevan. 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, Estevan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.