Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and North Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,792 in North Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,792 in North Vancouver.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
North Vancouver $2,792

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,190 in North Vancouver.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
North Vancouver $4,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,588 in North Vancouver.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
North Vancouver $5,588

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 57% less than in North Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, North Vancouver is 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$21.53 CA$30.04

-50.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$64.6 CA$90.1

-32.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$9.20 CA$12.83

28.15%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$4.34 CA$6.05

-12.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$2.26 CA$3.15

-42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.72 CA$2.40

-51.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$4.94 CA$6.89

-36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$6.22 CA$8.68

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.00 CA$2.79

-29.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$2.89 CA$4.04

-23.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.39 CA$4.73

-56.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.14 CA$4.38

-20.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$13.91 CA$19.40

-47.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$14.01 CA$19.55

-43.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$15.65 CA$21.83

-17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.17 CA$5.82

-30.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.42 CA$1.98

-2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.38 CA$6.11

-43.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.18 CA$5.83

-51.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.91 CA$4.07

-30.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.84 CA$3.96

-33.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.80 CA$3.91

-59.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$2.12 CA$2.96

-41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$14.32 CA$19.98

-70.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$14.15 CA$19.74

-30.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.15 CA$2.99

-26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.80 CA$3.90

-1.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$2.57 CA$3.59

-80.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$102 CA$143

-73.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.70 CA$3.77

76.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.52 CA$2.12

113.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$27.60 CA$38.51

-80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.28 CA$1.79

19.53%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.0K CA$39.1K

-24.35%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$20.8K CA$29.0K

11.94%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$128 CA$179

-34.90%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$37.76 CA$52.7

-38.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$48.56 CA$67.8

-43.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$27.51 CA$38.39

105.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$24.73 CA$34.51

13.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$12.29 CA$17.15

-59.32%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,049 CA$1,464

-80.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$13.0K CA$18.2K

-59.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$65.1 CA$90.8

-33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$38.80 CA$54.1

9.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$82.3 CA$115

-11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$111 CA$154

-20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,976 CA$2,757

-49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,567 CA$2,186

-75.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$3,383 CA$4,720

-50.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,800 CA$3,907

-61.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$8,282 CA$11.6K

-52.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$5,889 CA$8,217

4.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,142 CA$4,385

-73.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.69

144.14%

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 North Vancouver: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

North Vancouver

$1.6K 56.1% 310% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

North Vancouver

$397 14.2% 54.3% $140

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

North Vancouver

$305 10.9% 52.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

North Vancouver

$215 7.7% 59.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

North Vancouver

$134 4.8% 20.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

North Vancouver

$52 1.9% 21.6% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

North Vancouver

$123 4.4% 144% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,976 in North Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Vancouver pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $65 in North Vancouver for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $397 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

48,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 CAD = 0.717 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.717 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen North Vancouver 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
North Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,792 in North Vancouver, so Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,976 in North Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $65 in North Vancouver. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,792 in North Vancouver – Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,792 in North Vancouver, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in North Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in North Vancouver. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.