Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Alberni and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,693 in Port Alberni, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Port Alberni
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Port Alberni Living Index
59

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

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Port Alberni

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,693

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Alberni and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Alberni and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,693 per month in Port Alberni vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Alberni $1,693
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,834 per month in Port Alberni vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Alberni $2,834
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,976 per month in Port Alberni vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Alberni $3,976
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Port Alberni costs about 41% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port Alberni sits 25% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 CA$25.54

$10.86 MX$201

66.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 CA$89.4

$44.21 MX$817

43.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$11.76 MX$217

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.68 MX$68.0

8.70%

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

$2.12 CA$2.99

$1.34 MX$24.79

58.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$0.82 MX$15.24

75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 CA$4.92

$3.06 MX$56.6

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 CA$7.69

$4.94 MX$91.2

10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CA$3.18

$1.47 MX$27.17

53.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$2.22 MX$40.95

4.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$1.48 MX$27.32

95.95%

Eggs

$3.92 CA$5.54

$2.49 MX$45.99

57.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 CA$12.76

$7.52 MX$139

19.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.06

$7.96 MX$147

-46.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.98 CA$28.24

$12.57 MX$232

58.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 CA$3.89

$2.78 MX$51.3

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$1.43 MX$26.37

-24.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 CA$4.86

$2.62 MX$48.37

31.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$2.14 MX$39.49

69.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.02 MX$37.38

6.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 CA$2.64

$1.99 MX$36.74

-6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CA$3.05

$1.14 MX$21.01

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 CA$1.05

$1.20 MX$22.18

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 CA$14.87

$4.26 MX$78.7

146.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$14.96

$10.02 MX$185

5.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$1.54 MX$28.41

66.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 CA$4.08

$2.66 MX$49.17

8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$0.53 MX$9.73

173.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.08 CA$48.17

$27.51 MX$508

23.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 CA$3.84

$4.90 MX$90.6

-44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.26

$3.43 MX$63.5

-53.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.40 CA$44.39

$5.38 MX$99.4

483.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.45 MX$26.76

-16.55%

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

$27.3K CA$38.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

28.84%

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

$21.0K CA$29.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-8.94%

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

$81.5 CA$115

$85.4 MX$1,577

-4.58%

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

$36.54 CA$51.7

$23.46 MX$434

55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 CA$73.4

$28.43 MX$525

82.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.88 CA$59.2

$62.2 MX$1,149

-32.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$5.10 MX$94.3

147.25%

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

$1,088 CA$1,538

$201 MX$3,715

441.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

413.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$83.2

$44.39 MX$820

32.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.95 CA$46.58

$41.35 MX$764

-20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 CA$135

$72.7 MX$1,344

31.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 CA$133

$89.6 MX$1,656

5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 CA$1,114

$979 MX$18.1K

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 CA$1,005

$373 MX$6,887

90.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 CA$2,399

$1,681 MX$31.1K

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 CA$2,390

$1,095 MX$20.2K

54.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,103 CA$4,387

$738 MX$13.6K

320.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.28

11.45

-62.62%

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

Last update for Port Alberni: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Alberni

$711 42%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 47.6% $338

Groceries & Markets

Port Alberni

$301 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 14.1% $43

Eating Out

Port Alberni

$267 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 24.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Alberni

$170 10%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 19.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Port Alberni

$127 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 11.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Port Alberni

$67 4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 7.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Port Alberni

$51 3%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2.2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Port Alberni versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 321% higher in Port Alberni, 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 $63.0 in Port Alberni versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Alberni

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

2 h ahead of Port Alberni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,743

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Port Alberni Playa del Carmen 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Alberni
Playa del Carmen

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

Port Alberni vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Alberni is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,540 per month in Port Alberni and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,693 in Port Alberni and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 41%.

Public transport costs about 24% 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 Port Alberni at $1,693. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Alberni 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, Port Alberni makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.