Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,297 in Kingston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kingston $2,297

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,179 in Kingston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Kingston $3,179

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,062 in Kingston, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Kingston $4,062

Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Kingston is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$15.68 CA$22.16

-30.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$63.5 CA$89.8

-30.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.52 CA$14.87

11.79%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.51 CA$4.96

4.84%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.10 CA$2.96

-36.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.31 CA$1.85

-37.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$5.65 CA$7.98

-45.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.19 CA$8.75

-20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.25 CA$3.18

-34.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.62 CA$3.70

-15.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.00 CA$4.24

-50.67%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.93 CA$4.14

-15.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.43 CA$14.75

-27.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.77 CA$16.63

-32.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.35 CA$16.04

10.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.98 CA$4.21

-6.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.16 CA$1.64

23.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.48 CA$4.92

-24.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.80 CA$5.37

-43.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.98 CA$4.21

-32.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.53 CA$3.57

-21.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.15 CA$3.03

-46.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.60 CA$2.27

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$14.24 CA$20.13

-70.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.74 CA$18.01

-21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.24 CA$3.17

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.98 CA$4.21

-10.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.44 CA$3.44

-78.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$57.8 CA$81.7

-52.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.35 CA$4.74

46.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.41 CA$1.99

143.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$32.42 CA$45.84

-83.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.13 CA$1.59

28.32%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$27.9K CA$39.5K

-24.19%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

10.48%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$130 CA$184

-34.43%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$39.13 CA$55.3

-40.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$61.6 CA$87.1

-53.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$29.11 CA$41.16

113.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$8.76 CA$12.38

227.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.66 CA$15.07

-52.16%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$525 CA$742

-61.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$53.4 CA$75.5

-16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$31.73 CA$44.86

30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$78.4 CA$111

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$81.8 CA$116

9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,512 CA$2,137

-35.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,238 CA$1,751

-69.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,329 CA$3,293

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,684 CA$2,380

-34.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,402 CA$4,810

16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,433 CA$3,439

152.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,099 CA$4,382

-76.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.61

148.37%

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 Kingston: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.9% 232% $866

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Kingston

$336 14.6% 29.9% $77

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Kingston

$253 11% 26.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kingston

$231 10.1% 68.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kingston

$110 4.8% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Kingston

$50 2.2% 30.3% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Kingston

$78 3.4% 50.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,512 in Kingston. 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 320% higher in Kingston, 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 $64.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $336 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

123,363

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kingston 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,297 in Kingston – roughly 91% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,446 in Kingston. 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,297 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 110% 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 Kingston at $2,297. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston 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 $2,297 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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