Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Windsor, NS

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,212 in Windsor, NS, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Windsor, NS, Canada
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Windsor, NS
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,212
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Windsor, NS

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,212 in Windsor, NS, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Windsor, NS $2,212

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,268 in Windsor, NS, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Windsor, NS $3,268

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,324 in Windsor, NS, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Windsor, NS $4,324

Playa del Carmen is about 46% cheaper than Windsor, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Windsor, NS is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$18.93 CA$26.46
-42.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$35.52 CA$49.63
22.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.82 CA$15.12
8.87%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$3.65 CA$5.10
4.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$2.06 CA$2.88
-37.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$1.87 CA$2.61
-58.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$4.39 CA$6.13
-27.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$5.59 CA$7.81
-11.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$2.94 CA$4.11
-52.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$2.84 CA$3.97
-21.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.54 CA$4.95
-59.89%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$3.74 CA$5.23
-32.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$13.70 CA$19.15
-47.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$15.31 CA$21.39
-49.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$13.21 CA$18.46
-3.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$5.76 CA$8.05
-51.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$1.54 CA$2.16
-11.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$4.75 CA$6.64
-46.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$5.79 CA$8.10
-63.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$2.07 CA$2.90
-6.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$2.15 CA$3.00
-12.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$2.49 CA$3.48
-53.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$2.10 CA$2.94
-43.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$14.17 CA$19.80
-69.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$14.35 CA$20.05
-30.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$3.27 CA$4.57
-51.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$3.94 CA$5.51
-32.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$2.54 CA$3.55
-78.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$64.0 CA$89.4
-58.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$2.87 CA$4.01
73.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$1.40 CA$1.95
137.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$21.04 CA$29.39
-74.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$1.22 CA$1.70
18.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$26.7K CA$37.4K
-22.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$21.3K CA$29.7K
10.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$125 CA$175
-32.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$31.80 CA$44.44
-26.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$36.09 CA$50.4
-20.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$36.05 CA$50.4
58.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$17.45 CA$24.39
65.67%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$12.92 CA$18.06
-60.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$379 CA$529
-45.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$13.7K CA$19.2K
-71.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$59.9 CA$83.7
-27.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$35.29 CA$49.30
17.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$103 CA$144
-28.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$117 CA$164
-23.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,265 CA$1,767
-22.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$1,025 CA$1,432
-62.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,834 CA$2,562
-6.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,749 CA$2,443
-38.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$4,604 CA$6,433
-14.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$3,447 CA$4,817
78.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Windsor, NS
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$940 CA$1,314
-21.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.6
148.91%

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 Windsor, NS: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Windsor, NS
$1K 169% $644
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Windsor, NS
$429 68.4% $174
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Windsor, NS
$277 36.7% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Windsor, NS
$193 41.3% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Windsor, NS
$142 27.2% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Windsor, NS
$62 8.1% $5.4
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Windsor, NS
$84 66.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,265 in Windsor, NS. 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 28% higher in Windsor, NS, 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $36 in Windsor, NS. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $429 in Windsor, NS – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇦 Windsor, NS
🕒 Local time
14:58 2:58 PM
15:58 3:58 PM
1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
217,188
💱 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 Windsor, NS 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Windsor, NS

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 Windsor, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Windsor, NS?
Yes – Windsor, NS is pricier by about 84%, 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 $3,317 in Windsor, NS. 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 $1,265 in Windsor, NS.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Windsor, NS?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,212 in Windsor, NS. That makes Playa del Carmen about 46% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 58% 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 Windsor, NS?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Windsor, NS at $2,212. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windsor, NS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Windsor, NS 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, Windsor, NS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?