Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Montreal $4,247

Playa del Carmen is about 42% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$18.98 CA$26.55

-42.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$73.0 CA$102

-40.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.88 CA$15.22

8.27%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.81 CA$5.34

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.94 CA$2.71

-34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.58 CA$2.21

-50.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$6.37 CA$8.91

-50.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$7.26 CA$10.16

-32.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.23 CA$3.11

-36.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.17 CA$4.44

-29.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$3.31 CA$4.63

-57.10%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.63 CA$5.08

-30.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.16 CA$18.40

-44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.56 CA$16.17

-33.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$13.71 CA$19.18

-7.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.29 CA$4.60

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.46 CA$2.04

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.37 CA$4.71

-24.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.15 CA$4.40

-32.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.89 CA$2.64

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.79 CA$2.51

5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.47 CA$3.46

-53.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.58 CA$2.21

-25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$11.28 CA$15.78

-61.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.49 CA$14.68

-5.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.34 CA$3.27

-32.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.91 CA$4.07

-8.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.61 CA$3.65

-78.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$79.1 CA$111

-66.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.26 CA$4.56

52.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.44 CA$2.01

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$33.43 CA$46.76

-83.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.33 CA$1.86

8.27%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

-27.82%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

11.21%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$80.1 CA$112

5.91%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$34.30 CA$47.98

-31.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$42.85 CA$59.9

-33.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$31.14 CA$43.56

83.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$19.41 CA$27.14

48.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$11.23 CA$15.71

-54.23%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$525 CA$734

-60.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

-75.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$58.0 CA$81.1

-25.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$38.11 CA$53.3

8.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$93.4 CA$131

-20.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$110 CA$154

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,285 CA$1,797

-23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$977 CA$1,366

-61.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,271 CA$3,176

-24.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,665 CA$2,329

-35.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$5,139 CA$7,188

-23.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$3,834 CA$5,363

60.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,002 CA$4,199

-75.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.48

155.58%

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 Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 157% $596

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Montreal

$351 17% 37.8% $96

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 43.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 14.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 20.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 98.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,285 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Montreal are about 4.1 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 $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $351 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 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 Montreal 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 71% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,096 in Montreal. 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 $1,285 in Montreal.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Montreal, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $73 in Montreal. 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 Montreal at $2,064. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,064 in Montreal. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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