Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Moose Jaw, SK

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,767 in Moose Jaw, SK, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Moose Jaw, SK, Canada
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Moose Jaw, SK
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,767
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Moose Jaw, SK

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 Moose Jaw, SK actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,767 in Moose Jaw, SK.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Moose Jaw, SK $1,767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,792 in Moose Jaw, SK.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Moose Jaw, SK $2,792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,818 in Moose Jaw, SK.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Moose Jaw, SK $3,818

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 32% less than in Moose Jaw, SK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Moose Jaw, SK is 31% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$14.53 CA$20.28
-26.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$67.8 CA$94.7
-35.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$9.55 CA$13.32
23.46%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.64 CA$3.68
43.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$2.01 CA$2.81
-35.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$1.19 CA$1.67
-30.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$4.25 CA$5.93
-25.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$4.76 CA$6.65
3.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.52 CA$2.12
-7.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$2.00 CA$2.79
10.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$4.97 CA$6.93
-70.42%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$3.10 CA$4.33
-19.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$7.75 CA$10.81
-5.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$9.37 CA$13.08
-15.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$16.19 CA$22.60
-20.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.95 CA$4.12
-1.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.27 CA$1.77
8.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$2.40 CA$3.35
3.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$3.01 CA$4.21
-32.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$2.91 CA$4.06
-30.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.16 CA$3.01
-12.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$2.88 CA$4.02
-60.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$1.46 CA$2.03
-15.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$12.77 CA$17.82
-66.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$13.97 CA$19.49
-29.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.89 CA$4.04
-44.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$3.39 CA$4.73
-18.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$2.67 CA$3.73
-80.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$57.2 CA$79.9
-52.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.68 CA$5.14
29.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.58 CA$2.21
105.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$18.18 CA$25.37
-70.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.15 CA$1.61
33.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$27.9K CA$38.9K
-23.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$22.2K CA$31.0K
4.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$212 CA$296
-60.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$39.42 CA$55.0
-41.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$60.5 CA$84.4
-54.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$47.37 CA$66.1
19.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$17.00 CA$23.72
65.82%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$10.18 CA$14.21
-50.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$495 CA$691
-58.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$5,270 CA$7,354
-0.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$50.4 CA$70.4
-13.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$43.62 CA$60.9
-2.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$84.5 CA$118
-13.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$106 CA$148
-16.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$814 CA$1,135
22.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$635 CA$886
-39.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,491 CA$2,081
12.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,351 CA$1,885
-20.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$3,527 CA$4,922
10.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$2,186 CA$3,051
180.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Moose Jaw, SK
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$2,737 CA$3,819
-69.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.72
142.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Moose Jaw, SK: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Moose Jaw, SK
$635 66% $252
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Moose Jaw, SK
$324 26% $67
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Moose Jaw, SK
$220 9.9% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Moose Jaw, SK
$312 132% $178
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Moose Jaw, SK
$128 15.2% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Moose Jaw, SK
$68 2% $1.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Moose Jaw, SK
$80 57.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $814 in Moose Jaw, SK. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moose Jaw, SK pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $68 in Moose Jaw, SK for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $324 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇦 Moose Jaw, SK
🕒 Local time
08:16 8:16 AM
07:16 7:16 AM
1 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
33,890
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.717 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.639 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Moose Jaw, SK 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Moose Jaw, SK

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 Moose Jaw, SK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Moose Jaw, SK?
Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Playa del Carmen or Moose Jaw, SK?
On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Moose Jaw, SK?
Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Moose Jaw, SK. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 52% less than in Moose Jaw, SK. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $495 in Moose Jaw, SK. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Moose Jaw, SK?
At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,767 in Moose Jaw, SK, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Moose Jaw, SK. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Moose Jaw, SK?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Moose Jaw, SK on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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