Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saint-Jérôme

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,706 in Saint-Jérôme, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Jérôme
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Saint-Jérôme Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Saint-Jérôme

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Saint-Jérôme

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 Saint-Jérôme actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,706 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Saint-Jérôme $1,706

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,701 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Saint-Jérôme $2,701

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,697 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Saint-Jérôme $3,697

Playa del Carmen is about 29% cheaper than Saint-Jérôme, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Saint-Jérôme is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.58 CA$21.78

-29.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$70.8 CA$99.0

-38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.82 CA$15.11

8.87%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.17 CA$4.42

20.19%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.48 CA$3.47

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.07 CA$2.89

-62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.06 CA$7.06

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.37 CA$8.90

-22.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$3.18 CA$4.44

-55.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.68 CA$3.75

-17.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.55 CA$4.97

-60.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.55 CA$4.95

-29.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$6.05 CA$8.45

20.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$16.09 CA$22.49

-52.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.96 CA$25.09

-29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.79 CA$5.29

-26.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.57 CA$3.59

-46.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.71 CA$6.58

-45.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.07 CA$5.69

-47.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.94 CA$4.10

-34.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.69 CA$3.76

-29.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.37 CA$3.31

-51.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$3.89 CA$5.44

-69.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$10.83 CA$15.13

-60.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.82 CA$15.12

-8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.63 CA$2.28

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.58 CA$5.01

-25.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$3.05 CA$4.26

-81.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$74.5 CA$104

-64.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.51 CA$2.11

-4.64%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$56.9 CA$79.5

48.99%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$34.13 CA$47.69

-31.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$42.04 CA$58.8

-31.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$14.53 CA$20.30

292.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$8.50 CA$11.88

-39.53%

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$52.6 CA$73.5

-17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$19.81 CA$27.68

109.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$109 CA$152

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$71.0 CA$99.1

25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$793 CA$1,108

23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$669 CA$935

-43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,408 CA$1,968

21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,208 CA$1,688

-11.00%

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

$2,710 CA$3,787

-72.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Saint-Jérôme: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Saint-Jérôme

$669 39.3% 75.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Saint-Jérôme

$420 24.6% 65% $166

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Saint-Jérôme

$251 14.7% 24.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Saint-Jérôme

$133 7.8% 2.8% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Saint-Jérôme

$113 6.7% 1.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Saint-Jérôme

$32 1.9% 53.1% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Saint-Jérôme

$87 * 5.1% 71.9% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $793 in Saint-Jérôme. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saint-Jérôme are about 3.7 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 $71 in Saint-Jérôme. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $420 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Saint-Jérôme

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,213

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Saint-Jérôme 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saint-Jérôme

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 Saint-Jérôme: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint-Jérôme is pricier by about 42%, 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 $2,559 in Saint-Jérôme. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Jérôme, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $793 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,706 in Saint-Jérôme. That makes Playa del Carmen about 29% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $71 in Saint-Jérôme. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap 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 Saint-Jérôme at $1,706. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Jérôme it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,706 in Saint-Jérôme. 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, Saint-Jérôme makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.