Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saanich and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,592 in Saanich, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Saanich
Learn more

Saanich Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Saanich

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,592

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Saanich vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saanich $2,592
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,650 per month in Saanich vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saanich $3,650
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,707 per month in Saanich vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saanich $4,707
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Saanich costs about 115% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saanich sits 90% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.77 CA$24.86

$10.92 MX$203

62.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.3

$43.37 MX$808

63.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 CA$15.75

$11.78 MX$219

-4.41%

Cappuccino

$4.25 CA$5.94

$3.81 MX$71.0

11.55%

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

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.28 MX$23.89

82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.43

$0.78 MX$14.58

121.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 CA$7.81

$3.17 MX$59.0

76.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 CA$9.22

$4.93 MX$91.9

33.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$1.41 MX$26.20

36.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$2.22 MX$41.30

36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.36

$1.42 MX$26.40

119.72%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.71

$2.52 MX$47.00

61.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 CA$15.89

$7.26 MX$135

56.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.69 CA$17.76

$7.70 MX$143

64.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 CA$24.26

$12.69 MX$236

36.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 CA$6.47

$2.78 MX$51.9

66.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.37 MX$25.49

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.92

$2.55 MX$47.52

65.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 CA$8.08

$2.12 MX$39.55

172.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 CA$4.83

$1.94 MX$36.11

77.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.05

$1.89 MX$35.13

52.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$1.15 MX$21.36

183.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.11

$1.18 MX$21.96

88.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 CA$20.22

$4.30 MX$80.0

236.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 CA$21.86

$9.95 MX$185

57.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$1.58 MX$29.50

68.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 CA$5.10

$2.67 MX$49.76

36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 CA$3.20

$0.55 MX$10.31

316.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.0 CA$112

$26.62 MX$496

200.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$3.95

$4.97 MX$92.6

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.19

$3.33 MX$62.1

-52.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.10 CA$39.31

$5.36 MX$99.8

424.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CA$1.95

$1.44 MX$26.90

-3.47%

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

$28.4K CA$39.8K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

37.57%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-10.34%

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

$119 CA$166

$84.8 MX$1,580

40.25%

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

$41.27 CA$57.7

$23.41 MX$436

76.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 CA$92.6

$28.66 MX$534

130.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 CA$97.3

$57.1 MX$1,063

21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 CA$15.69

$5.14 MX$95.7

118.29%

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

$877 CA$1,226

$207 MX$3,848

324.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K CA$18.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

239.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 CA$75.9

$43.35 MX$808

25.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.53 CA$49.70

$41.44 MX$772

-14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 CA$126

$74.2 MX$1,382

21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$150

$89.3 MX$1,663

20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,055

$980 MX$18.2K

50.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 CA$1,884

$381 MX$7,095

253.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 CA$2,851

$1,708 MX$31.8K

19.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,890 CA$2,644

$1,075 MX$20.0K

75.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 CA$5,341

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-37.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,903 CA$4,061

$735 MX$13.7K

295.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

11.45

-58.78%

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

Last update for Saanich: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saanich

$1.3K 52%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 71.7% $966

Groceries & Markets

Saanich

$413 16%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.4% $159

Eating Out

Saanich

$284 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saanich

$226 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Saanich

$129 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 13.7% $18

Getting Around

Saanich

$100 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 49.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Saanich

$92 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 26.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Saanich versus $980 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 in Saanich are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Saanich versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saanich

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Saanich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saanich Playa del Carmen 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Saanich
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

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

Yes – Saanich is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Saanich 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,470 in Saanich.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,592 in Saanich and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 67% 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 Saanich at $2,592. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saanich 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saanich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.