Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Surrey, Canada

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,338 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Surrey, Canada
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Surrey
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,338
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,338 in Surrey, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Surrey $2,338

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,564 in Surrey, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Surrey $3,564

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,791 in Surrey, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Surrey $4,791

Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Surrey is 72% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$18.11 CA$25.31
-39.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$57.5 CA$80.3
-24.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.06 CA$14.06
17.10%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$3.52 CA$4.92
8.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$2.01 CA$2.81
-36.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$1.50 CA$2.10
-48.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$6.01 CA$8.40
-47.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$5.63 CA$7.87
-12.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$2.47 CA$3.46
-42.91%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$2.10 CA$2.94
5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.64 CA$5.09
-60.99%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$3.22 CA$4.50
-21.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$9.77 CA$13.65
-25.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$10.57 CA$14.78
-27.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$20.34 CA$28.42
-37.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.33 CA$4.65
-16.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$1.30 CA$1.82
5.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$2.94 CA$4.10
-13.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$3.02 CA$4.23
-29.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$2.59 CA$3.62
-25.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$2.15 CA$3.01
-12.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$2.00 CA$2.80
-42.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$1.83 CA$2.56
-35.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$14.11 CA$19.72
-69.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$14.20 CA$19.85
-29.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$2.45 CA$3.43
-35.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$3.23 CA$4.51
-17.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$2.55 CA$3.57
-78.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$110 CA$154
-75.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$2.64 CA$3.69
88.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.60 CA$2.23
108.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$28.02 CA$39.15
-80.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$1.38 CA$1.92
4.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$28.2K CA$39.3K
-26.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$21.7K CA$30.3K
8.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$187 CA$261
-54.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$37.14 CA$51.9
-36.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$65.7 CA$91.9
-56.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$31.83 CA$44.48
79.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$25.35 CA$35.42
14.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$12.18 CA$17.02
-57.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$668 CA$934
-69.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$12.1K CA$16.9K
-67.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$55.0 CA$76.8
-21.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$61.1 CA$85.4
-32.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$99.5 CA$139
-25.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$90.8 CA$127
-1.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,376 CA$1,923
-28.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$1,094 CA$1,528
-65.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,606 CA$3,641
-34.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$2,095 CA$2,927
-48.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$6,631 CA$9,265
-40.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$5,166 CA$7,218
19.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Surrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$3,156 CA$4,410
-76.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.87
135.11%

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 Surrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Surrey
$1.1K 187% $713
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Surrey
$357 40.1% $102
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Surrey
$273 34.8% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Surrey
$289 112% $153
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Surrey
$138 23.4% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Surrey
$56 16.5% $11
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Surrey
$131 160% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,376 in Surrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Surrey are about 4.3 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 $57 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $357 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇦 Surrey
🕒 Local time
17:17 5:17 PM
15:17 3:17 PM
2 h behind Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
517,887
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Surrey 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Surrey?
Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,507 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,376 in Surrey.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Surrey?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,338 in Surrey. That makes Playa del Carmen about 48% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 76% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Surrey?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Surrey at $2,338. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Surrey more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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