Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Scarborough is 44.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 106.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Scarborough is 43.6% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 47.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.77 CA$25.71
$11.85 MX$210
58.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.4 CA$110
$42.16 MX$746
90.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 CA$15.26
$10.75 MX$190
3.63%
Cappuccino
$4.17 CA$5.71
$3.47 MX$61.5
20.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 CA$2.87
$1.45 MX$25.72
44.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 CA$2.02
$0.90 MX$15.98
63.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.81 CA$7.96
$3.05 MX$54.1
90.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 CA$9.31
$4.42 MX$78.2
53.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.42 CA$3.31
$1.37 MX$24.24
76.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.58 CA$3.54
$1.87 MX$33.14
37.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 CA$3.72
$1.54 MX$27.32
75.97%
Eggs
$3.59 CA$4.92
$2.50 MX$44.31
43.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.58 CA$18.61
$8.61 MX$152
57.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.16 CA$15.29
$8.63 MX$153
29.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.63 CA$20.04
$11.02 MX$195
32.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 CA$4.84
$2.75 MX$48.67
28.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.13 CA$1.55
$1.43 MX$25.28
-20.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 CA$4.04
$1.87 MX$33.15
57.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.53 CA$4.84
$2.17 MX$38.37
62.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 CA$2.19
$1.88 MX$33.33
-14.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.62 CA$3.59
$2.25 MX$39.76
16.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CA$3.06
$1.07 MX$18.90
108.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 CA$2.26
$1.07 MX$19.00
54.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.14 CA$18.00
$4.15 MX$73.5
216.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.84 CA$16.22
$10.34 MX$183
14.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 CA$3.39
$1.68 MX$29.72
47.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 CA$3.54
$2.48 MX$43.97
4.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.49 CA$3.41
$0.55 MX$9.82
352.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 CA$146
$26.53 MX$470
301.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 CA$4.19
$3.22 MX$56.9
-4.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 CA$1.63
$2.48 MX$43.93
-52.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.03 CA$31.55
$3.11 MX$55.0
640.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 CA$1.56
$1.26 MX$22.22
-9.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.7K CA$33.8K
$30.7K MX$542.7K
-19.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K CA$28.3K
$24.0K MX$425.5K
-13.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 CA$236
$82.5 MX$1,460
108.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.96 CA$57.5
$22.29 MX$394
88.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.1 CA$75.5
$30.02 MX$531
83.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.70 CA$50.3
$51.4 MX$911
-28.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$324
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.19 CA$19.45
$4.98 MX$88.2
184.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$842 CA$1,153
$200 MX$3,540
320.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K CA$15.1K
$5,304 MX$93.9K
107.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 CA$79.4
$35.71 MX$632
62.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.17 CA$59.1
$39.56 MX$700
9.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 CA$119
$80.6 MX$1,426
7.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 CA$142
$88.3 MX$1,563
17.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,766 CA$2,420
$969 MX$17.2K
82.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,369 CA$1,875
$482 MX$8,535
183.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,252 CA$3,085
$1,595 MX$28.2K
41.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,642 CA$2,250
$1,184 MX$21.0K
38.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,814 CA$10.7K
$4,050 MX$71.7K
92.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,304 CA$8,637
$6,522 MX$115.4K
-3.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Scarborough
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,038 CA$4,162
$756 MX$13.4K
301.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.08
11.42
-46.76%

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

Last update for Scarborough: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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