Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oakville

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,636 in Oakville, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Oakville
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Oakville Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Oakville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,636

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,636 in Oakville.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Oakville $2,636

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,763 in Oakville.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Oakville $3,763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,889 in Oakville.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Oakville $4,889

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Oakville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Oakville is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$14.19 CA$20.06

-24.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$68.5 CA$96.9

-37.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.86 CA$12.53

33.07%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.55 CA$5.02

9.01%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.04 CA$2.88

-32.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.55 CA$2.19

-45.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$5.76 CA$8.14

-46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.23 CA$8.80

-18.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.61 CA$3.69

-44.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.90 CA$4.10

-23.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.46 CA$4.89

-57.51%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$4.20 CA$5.94

-39.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.28 CA$13.13

-21.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.31 CA$14.58

-23.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.21 CA$18.67

-3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.41 CA$4.82

-14.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.84 CA$2.60

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.50 CA$4.94

-27.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.94 CA$4.16

-29.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.50 CA$3.53

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.23 CA$4.56

-37.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.16 CA$3.05

-44.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.68 CA$2.37

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$13.98 CA$19.77

-68.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.77 CA$18.05

-24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.16 CA$4.47

-49.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.50 CA$3.53

12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.74 CA$3.88

-79.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$95.5 CA$135

-70.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.09 CA$1.54

34.86%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

-23.09%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$18.4K CA$26.0K

30.04%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$93.9 CA$133

-10.34%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$29.18 CA$41.26

-17.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$47.49 CA$67.1

-38.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$42.76 CA$60.5

47.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.95 CA$12.66

-44.80%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,027 CA$1,451

-80.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$17.6K CA$24.8K

-77.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$67.3 CA$95.1

-35.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$84.1 CA$119

-48.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$108 CA$153

-29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$107 CA$151

-17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,733 CA$2,450

-41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,545 CA$2,184

-75.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,576 CA$3,642

-33.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,361 CA$3,338

-53.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$3,990 CA$5,640

-1.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$6,863 CA$9,702

-10.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,141 CA$4,440

-75.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.39

112.43%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Oakville: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Oakville

$1.5K 58.6% 313% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Oakville

$351 13.3% 35.7% $92

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Oakville

$238 9% 17.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Oakville

$171 6.5% 24.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Oakville

$165 6.3% 46% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Oakville

$61 2.3% 16.7% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Oakville

$106 * 4% 103% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,733 in Oakville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oakville pays 316% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $69.0 in Oakville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $351 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Oakville

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

193,832

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Oakville 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Oakville

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 Oakville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 118% lower than in Oakville. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 316% lower in Oakville. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,733 in Oakville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 243% less than in Oakville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,027 in Oakville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,636 in Oakville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oakville. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Oakville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Oakville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.