Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Coquitlam, BC and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,485 in Port Coquitlam, BC, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Port Coquitlam, BC
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,485
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Coquitlam, BC 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 Coquitlam, BC and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,485 per month in Port Coquitlam, BC vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Port Coquitlam, BC $2,485
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Port Coquitlam, BC vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Port Coquitlam, BC $3,403
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,320 per month in Port Coquitlam, BC vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Port Coquitlam, BC $4,320
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Port Coquitlam, BC costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Coquitlam, BC sits 84% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.22 CA$20.10
$10.76 MX$199
32.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.0 CA$100
$43.03 MX$795
64.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.57 CA$12.11
$11.79 MX$218
-27.31%
Cappuccino
$3.40 CA$4.81
$3.87 MX$71.4
-12.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$2.99
$1.37 MX$25.29
54.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 CA$2.24
$0.84 MX$15.44
88.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.65 CA$7.99
$3.10 MX$57.3
82.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.36 CA$8.99
$5.07 MX$93.6
25.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 CA$2.50
$1.44 MX$26.55
22.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.48 CA$3.51
$2.23 MX$41.23
11.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.60 CA$5.09
$1.47 MX$27.17
144.90%
Eggs
$3.13 CA$4.42
$2.53 MX$46.71
23.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.78 CA$16.66
$7.30 MX$135
61.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.49 CA$17.65
$7.86 MX$145
58.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.17 CA$20.03
$12.79 MX$236
10.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.96 CA$5.60
$2.90 MX$53.6
36.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 CA$1.87
$1.44 MX$26.53
-8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.76 CA$5.32
$2.55 MX$47.07
47.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.92 CA$5.54
$2.06 MX$38.03
90.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 CA$3.74
$2.00 MX$36.97
32.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.43 CA$3.43
$2.01 MX$37.07
20.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 CA$3.52
$1.19 MX$22.02
109.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CA$2.21
$1.26 MX$23.23
23.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.64 CA$22.11
$4.40 MX$81.4
255.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.07 CA$19.89
$9.59 MX$177
46.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 CA$3.73
$1.59 MX$29.41
66.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 CA$4.04
$2.81 MX$51.9
1.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 CA$2.87
$0.57 MX$10.47
256.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$109 CA$154
$27.82 MX$514
290.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 CA$3.78
$4.98 MX$92.1
-46.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 CA$2.29
$3.50 MX$64.6
-53.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.78 CA$43.51
$5.40 MX$99.8
470.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 CA$1.96
$1.47 MX$27.08
-6.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K CA$38.5K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
29.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.0K CA$28.3K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
-16.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.6 CA$114
$84.2 MX$1,556
-4.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.11 CA$52.5
$23.99 MX$443
54.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.0 CA$72.1
$29.02 MX$536
75.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.98 CA$29.66
$63.0 MX$1,164
-66.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.56 CA$14.93
$4.94 MX$91.3
113.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,106 CA$1,563
$204 MX$3,763
443.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.2K CA$28.6K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
413.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.9 CA$80.4
$43.60 MX$806
30.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.20 CA$45.52
$43.12 MX$797
-25.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.0 CA$117
$75.8 MX$1,400
9.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 CA$132
$88.6 MX$1,637
5.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 CA$2,216
$1,008 MX$18.6K
55.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 CA$2,023
$374 MX$6,911
282.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,128 CA$3,009
$1,708 MX$31.6K
24.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,856 CA$2,624
$1,106 MX$20.4K
67.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,490 CA$7,761
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-11.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Coquitlam, BC
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,284 CA$3,229
$754 MX$13.9K
202.80%
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 Coquitlam, BC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Port Coquitlam, BC
$1.4K
Playa del Carmen
$374 73.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Port Coquitlam, BC
$361
Playa del Carmen
$258 28.3% $102
Eating Out
Port Coquitlam, BC
$236
Playa del Carmen
$202 14.3% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Coquitlam, BC
$169
Playa del Carmen
$137 18.7% $31
Getting Around
Port Coquitlam, BC
$128
Playa del Carmen
$53 58.8% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Port Coquitlam, BC
$119
Playa del Carmen
$113 5.4% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Port Coquitlam, BC
$42
Playa del Carmen
$73 73.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,568 in Port Coquitlam, BC versus $1,008 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 203% higher in Port Coquitlam, BC, 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 $71.0 in Port Coquitlam, BC versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Port Coquitlam, BC
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
10:17 10:17 AM
12:17 12:17 PM
2 h ahead of Port Coquitlam, BC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,498
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Port Coquitlam, BC Playa del Carmen 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Port Coquitlam, BC
  • 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 Coquitlam, BC vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Port Coquitlam, BC?
Yes – Port Coquitlam, BC is pricier by about 105%, 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 $3,728 per month in Port Coquitlam, BC and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Port Coquitlam, BC and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,485 in Port Coquitlam, BC and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 105%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 291% 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 Port Coquitlam, BC or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Port Coquitlam, BC at $2,485. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Coquitlam, BC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Port Coquitlam, BC or Playa del Carmen 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 safer, Port Coquitlam, BC or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Coquitlam, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Port Coquitlam, BC vs other spots: cost of living compared

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