Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and North Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,162 in North Bay, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in North Bay
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North Bay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

North Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in North Bay

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,162 in North Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
North Bay $2,162

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,060 in North Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
North Bay $3,060

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,957 in North Bay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
North Bay $3,957

Playa del Carmen is about 44% cheaper than North Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while North Bay is 59% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$17.83 CA$24.91

-38.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$77.4 CA$108

-43.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.73 CA$14.99

9.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.98 CA$5.57

-4.27%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.07 CA$2.90

-38.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.76 CA$2.45

-55.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.02 CA$7.02

-36.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.81 CA$9.51

-27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.56 CA$3.57

-44.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.72 CA$3.81

-18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.24 CA$3.12

-36.61%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.53 CA$4.93

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.49 CA$13.27

-23.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$11.32 CA$15.82

-31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.37 CA$17.29

2.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.67 CA$5.13

-24.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.22 CA$1.70

12.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.21 CA$4.49

-20.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.19 CA$5.86

-49.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.85 CA$2.58

4.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.68 CA$2.34

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.24 CA$3.13

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.26 CA$1.76

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$14.46 CA$20.20

-70.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.26 CA$19.92

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.23 CA$3.12

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.46 CA$3.44

8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.28 CA$3.18

-75.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$67.4 CA$94.1

-60.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.08 CA$4.31

61.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.13 CA$1.58

194.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$22.26 CA$31.11

-75.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.25 CA$1.75

15.20%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$26.8K CA$37.5K

-22.94%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$21.5K CA$30.0K

9.22%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$124 CA$173

-31.46%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$32.74 CA$45.75

-28.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$48.00 CA$67.1

-40.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$24.94 CA$34.85

128.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$13.09 CA$18.29

-60.73%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$753 CA$1,052

-72.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$23.8K CA$33.2K

-83.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$44.70 CA$62.5

-3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$18.18 CA$25.41

127.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$101 CA$141

-26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$89.3 CA$125

-0.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,457 CA$2,036

-32.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,095 CA$1,530

-65.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,852 CA$2,587

-7.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,475 CA$2,061

-27.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,108 CA$4,343

-76.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.45

157.30%

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 North Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

North Bay

$1.1K 50.7% 188% $714

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

North Bay

$335 15.5% 31.6% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

North Bay

$277 12.8% 36.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

North Bay

$204 9.5% 49.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

North Bay

$114 5.3% 2.1% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

North Bay

$51 2.4% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

North Bay

$85 3.9% 68.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,457 in North Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in North Bay are about 4.2 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 $77 in North Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $335 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 North Bay

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

51,553

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen North Bay 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
North Bay

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 North Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Bay costs about 80% 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 $3,243 in North Bay. 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 $1,457 in North Bay.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $753 in North Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 North Bay at $2,162. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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