Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,530 in Toronto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Toronto $2,530

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,646 in Toronto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Toronto $3,646

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,761 in Toronto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Toronto $4,761

Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Toronto is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$17.67 CA$25.13

-37.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$816

$77.4 CA$110

-42.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$217

$10.47 CA$14.90

13.85%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.2

$4.08 CA$5.80

-6.86%

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

$1.31 MX$23.86

$2.12 CA$3.01

-38.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.58

$1.76 CA$2.50

-51.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.4

$6.17 CA$8.78

-47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.2

$6.89 CA$9.80

-27.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$2.43 CA$3.46

-39.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.33

$2.75 CA$3.91

-15.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.24

$2.23 CA$3.17

-35.43%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.78

$3.45 CA$4.90

-28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$140

$8.93 CA$12.71

-13.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$11.44 CA$16.27

-31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$233

$14.61 CA$20.78

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$3.75 CA$5.33

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.87

$1.15 CA$1.63

23.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$3.55 CA$5.05

-27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$38.88

$4.28 CA$6.09

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.42

$1.85 CA$2.62

5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$1.67 CA$2.37

16.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.94

$2.22 CA$3.15

-48.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.21

$1.21 CA$1.72

0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.6

$13.88 CA$19.74

-68.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$179

$14.25 CA$20.27

-30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$27.97

$2.20 CA$3.12

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.40

$2.42 CA$3.44

12.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.55

$2.42 CA$3.44

-78.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$499

$111 CA$158

-75.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.4

$2.90 CA$4.12

69.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.1

$1.26 CA$1.79

179.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$103

$22.03 CA$31.33

-74.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.22 CA$1.74

26.23%

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

$21.2K MX$386.3K

$27.6K CA$39.3K

-23.13%

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

$24.5K MX$445.4K

$19.8K CA$28.2K

23.54%

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

$83.6 MX$1,521

$122 CA$173

-31.40%

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

$24.03 MX$437

$32.03 CA$45.56

-24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$534

$47.92 CA$68.2

-38.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,180

$38.90 CA$55.3

66.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$536

$23.24 CA$33.05

26.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.5

$12.61 CA$17.94

-59.64%

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

$208 MX$3,778

$834 CA$1,186

-75.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.6K

$23.3K CA$33.2K

-82.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$810

$52.6 CA$74.8

-15.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$765

$40.26 CA$57.3

4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,374

$96.2 CA$137

-21.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,662

$123 CA$175

-25.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$17.9K

$1,598 CA$2,273

-38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,007

$1,435 CA$2,041

-73.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.2K

$2,657 CA$3,779

-35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$2,096 CA$2,981

-47.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.0K

$8,033 CA$11.4K

-50.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$113.6K

$6,557 CA$9,327

-4.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

$3,743 CA$5,324

-79.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.47

156.15%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 273% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 30.7% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 38.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 47.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 23.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 14.6% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Toronto

$130 5% 149% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Toronto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 394% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $77.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $340 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Toronto 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Toronto

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 Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Toronto is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,795 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $2,530 in Toronto. That's a gap of about 108%.

Public transport costs about 304% 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 $1,215, than in Toronto at $2,530. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.