Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saguenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,427 in Saguenay, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Saguenay
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Saguenay Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Saguenay

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,427 in Saguenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Saguenay $1,427

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,280 in Saguenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Saguenay $2,280

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,132 in Saguenay, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Saguenay $3,132

Playa del Carmen is about 16% cheaper than Saguenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Saguenay is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.39 CA$21.50

-29.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$43.46 CA$60.7

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.53 CA$14.72

11.87%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.84 CA$5.36

-0.78%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.53 CA$2.14

-16.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.23 CA$1.71

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.45 CA$7.61

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.30 CA$7.40

-6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.14 CA$2.99

-34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.88 CA$4.02

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$4.29 CA$6.00

-66.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.79 CA$3.90

-9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.63 CA$12.06

-15.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$7.17 CA$10.02

7.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.63 CA$14.85

19.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.09 CA$5.72

-32.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.41 CA$1.97

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.87 CA$5.41

-34.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.14 CA$5.79

-48.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.91 CA$4.06

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.80 CA$3.92

-32.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.45 CA$3.43

-53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.76 CA$1.06

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$12.22 CA$17.08

-64.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.61 CA$16.22

-14.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$3.20 CA$4.46

-50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.40 CA$4.74

-21.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.61 CA$3.64

-78.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$56.5 CA$79.0

-52.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.95 CA$4.12

68.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.43 CA$2.00

132.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$28.38 CA$39.65

-81.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.21 CA$1.69

19.01%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$27.8K CA$38.9K

-25.78%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$19.6K CA$27.4K

19.63%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$64.4 CA$90.0

31.62%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$32.29 CA$45.11

-27.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$45.01 CA$62.9

-36.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$25.03 CA$34.96

127.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$19.54 CA$27.30

47.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.52 CA$13.31

-46.01%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$702 CA$981

-70.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$9,123 CA$12.7K

-56.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$56.2 CA$78.6

-22.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$36.19 CA$50.6

14.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$83.9 CA$117

-11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$108 CA$150

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$618 CA$864

58.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$470 CA$657

-19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,190 CA$1,663

43.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$970 CA$1,355

10.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$5,670 CA$7,921

-30.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,522 CA$4,921

74.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,554 CA$3,567

-71.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.44

157.88%

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 Saguenay: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Saguenay

$470 33% 23.5% $89

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Saguenay

$317 22.2% 24.2% $62

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Saguenay

$250 17.5% 23.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Saguenay

$142 9.9% 3.6% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Saguenay

$128 9% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Saguenay

$44 3.1% 34.5% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Saguenay

$77 5.4% 52.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $618 in Saguenay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saguenay are about 3.5 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 $43 in Saguenay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $317 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Saguenay

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

144,723

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 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 Saguenay 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saguenay

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 Saguenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saguenay is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,140 in Saguenay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saguenay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $618 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,427 in Saguenay. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $702 in Saguenay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,427 in Saguenay. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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