Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,128

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,149 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,149

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,170 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,170

Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper than St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$17.60 CA$24.62

-37.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$72.0 CA$101

-39.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.73 CA$16.41

0.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.03 CA$5.64

-5.46%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.59 CA$3.62

-50.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$2.20 CA$3.08

-64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.87 CA$6.82

-34.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$5.43 CA$7.59

-9.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.77 CA$3.88

-49.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.07 CA$4.30

-27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$4.28 CA$5.99

-66.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.87 CA$5.42

-34.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.53 CA$16.13

-37.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$13.32 CA$18.63

-42.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.81 CA$16.53

7.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.85 CA$6.78

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.09 CA$4.33

-55.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$4.80 CA$6.71

-46.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.08 CA$4.30

-31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.65 CA$3.70

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.31 CA$3.23

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.86 CA$4.00

-59.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$2.02 CA$2.82

-41.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$13.80 CA$19.30

-68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$16.10 CA$22.52

-38.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$4.19 CA$5.87

-62.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$4.33 CA$6.06

-38.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.83 CA$2.56

-69.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$55.7 CA$77.9

-52.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.22 CA$4.51

54.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.75 CA$2.45

90.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$28.39 CA$39.71

-81.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.39 CA$1.94

3.60%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$28.6K CA$40.1K

-27.86%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$23.8K CA$33.4K

-1.61%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$182 CA$255

-53.44%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$41.72 CA$58.4

-43.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$76.6 CA$107

-62.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$68.1 CA$95.3

-16.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$19.14 CA$26.77

51.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.63 CA$14.87

-51.65%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$535 CA$748

-61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$9,862 CA$13.8K

-60.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$66.9 CA$93.6

-35.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$51.5 CA$72.0

-19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$81.7 CA$114

-9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$96.2 CA$135

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,041 CA$1,457

-5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$836 CA$1,169

-54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,540 CA$2,153

10.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,322 CA$1,849

-18.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,435 CA$3,405

61.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,776 CA$2,484

246.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,823 CA$3,949

-73.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.57

150.55%

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$836 39.3% 120% $455

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$415 19.5% 62.9% $160

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$279 13.1% 37.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$300 14.1% 120% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$133 6.3% 19.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$89 4.2% 32.8% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$75 3.5% 48.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 3.8 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 $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $415 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,525

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is pricier by about 77%, 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 $3,192 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. That makes Playa del Carmen about 43% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador at $2,128. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.