Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hardy and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,698 in Port Hardy, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Port Hardy
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Port Hardy Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Port Hardy

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,698

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,698 per month in Port Hardy vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hardy $1,698
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,767 per month in Port Hardy vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hardy $2,767
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,835 per month in Port Hardy vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Port Hardy $3,835
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Port Hardy costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Hardy sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 CA$24.70

$10.76 MX$199

62.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 CA$93.5

$43.03 MX$795

53.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.79 MX$218

-9.84%

Cappuccino

$3.80 CA$5.37

$3.87 MX$71.4

-1.81%

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

$1.95 CA$2.75

$1.37 MX$25.29

42.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$0.84 MX$15.44

96.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 CA$6.73

$3.10 MX$57.3

53.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CA$6.95

$5.07 MX$93.6

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.44

$1.44 MX$26.55

20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 CA$3.58

$2.23 MX$41.23

13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.47 MX$27.17

117.01%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.91

$2.53 MX$46.71

37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.66

$7.30 MX$135

32.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.06

$7.86 MX$145

44.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 CA$20.38

$12.79 MX$236

12.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.23

$2.90 MX$53.6

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.44 MX$26.53

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.16

$2.55 MX$47.07

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.14

$2.06 MX$38.03

76.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.00 MX$36.97

24.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$2.01 MX$37.07

5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.19 MX$22.02

103.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.26 MX$23.23

23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.57 CA$20.60

$4.40 MX$81.4

231.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 CA$17.18

$9.59 MX$177

26.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$1.59 MX$29.41

58.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$2.81 MX$51.9

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$0.57 MX$10.47

338.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$27.82 MX$514

89.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$4.98 MX$92.1

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$3.50 MX$64.6

-53.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.30 CA$35.76

$5.40 MX$99.8

368.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.47 MX$27.08

-23.13%

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

$24.0K CA$33.9K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

14.37%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-19.91%

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

$83.5 CA$118

$84.2 MX$1,556

-0.88%

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

$55.0 CA$77.7

$23.99 MX$443

129.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 CA$101

$29.02 MX$536

145.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 CA$57.1

$63.0 MX$1,164

-35.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.92 CA$26.75

$29.14 MX$539

-35.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 CA$15.23

$4.94 MX$91.3

118.22%

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

$773 CA$1,093

$204 MX$3,763

279.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K CA$20.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

272.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 CA$78.8

$43.60 MX$806

27.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.59 CA$58.8

$43.12 MX$797

-3.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 CA$116

$75.8 MX$1,400

7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 CA$127

$88.6 MX$1,637

1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 CA$890

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-37.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 CA$885

$374 MX$6,911

67.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 CA$1,930

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-20.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 CA$1,922

$1,106 MX$20.4K

22.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,049 CA$5,724

$3,944 MX$72.9K

2.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,758 CA$5,313

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-39.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,158 CA$4,465

$754 MX$13.9K

318.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

11.45

-59.30%

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

Last update for Port Hardy: 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 Hardy

$626 36.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 40.3% $252

Groceries & Markets

Port Hardy

$340 20%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 24.1% $82

Eating Out

Port Hardy

$265 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 23.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hardy

$210 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 34.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hardy

$121 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 6.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Port Hardy

$74 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 28.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hardy

$62 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $630 in Port Hardy 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 319% higher in Port Hardy, 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 $66.0 in Port Hardy versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Port Hardy

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

2 h ahead of Port Hardy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,100

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 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Port Hardy Playa del Carmen 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Port Hardy is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,547 per month in Port Hardy and $1,816 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 $1,698 in Port Hardy and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 90% 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 $1,210, than in Port Hardy at $1,698. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Hardy 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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Hardy makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.