Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,561 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
58

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

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Scarborough vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scarborough $2,561
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Scarborough vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scarborough $3,474
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,388 per month in Scarborough vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Scarborough $4,388
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Scarborough costs about 113% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Scarborough sits 88% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 CA$24.20

$10.92 MX$205

58.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$98.3

$43.37 MX$814

62.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 CA$15.22

$11.78 MX$221

-7.56%

Cappuccino

$3.99 CA$5.57

$3.81 MX$71.5

4.72%

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

$2.03 CA$2.84

$1.28 MX$24.07

58.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.05

$0.78 MX$14.70

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.15

$3.17 MX$59.5

106.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CA$10.18

$4.93 MX$92.7

47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.51

$1.41 MX$26.40

78.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$2.22 MX$41.62

18.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.19

$1.42 MX$26.61

60.56%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.09

$2.52 MX$47.36

44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 CA$12.77

$7.26 MX$136

25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$15.99

$7.70 MX$144

48.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 CA$18.11

$12.69 MX$238

2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.79

$2.78 MX$52.3

23.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.69

$1.37 MX$25.68

-11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.67

$2.55 MX$47.89

30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$2.12 MX$39.86

96.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$1.94 MX$36.39

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 CA$2.35

$1.89 MX$35.41

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$1.15 MX$21.53

91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.76

$1.18 MX$22.13

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.56

$4.30 MX$80.6

225.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 CA$17.58

$9.95 MX$187

26.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$1.58 MX$29.73

38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$2.67 MX$50.1

-4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 CA$3.35

$0.55 MX$10.39

336.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$26.62 MX$500

294.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$4.97 MX$93.3

-38.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$3.33 MX$62.5

-61.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.46

$5.36 MX$101

320.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.75

$1.44 MX$27.11

-13.19%

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

$26.1K CA$36.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

26.51%

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

$21.7K CA$30.4K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-7.42%

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

$137 CA$192

$84.8 MX$1,592

61.99%

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

$35.21 CA$49.20

$23.41 MX$439

50.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 CA$67.9

$28.66 MX$538

69.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 CA$50.1

$57.1 MX$1,071

-37.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.96 CA$50.2

$28.91 MX$543

24.39%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 CA$18.10

$5.14 MX$96.5

151.95%

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

$749 CA$1,047

$207 MX$3,878

262.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CA$15.1K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

175.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$74.6

$43.35 MX$814

23.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.94 CA$57.2

$41.44 MX$778

-1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 CA$119

$74.2 MX$1,393

14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$147

$89.3 MX$1,676

17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 CA$2,437

$980 MX$18.4K

78.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 CA$1,977

$381 MX$7,150

271.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 CA$2,966

$1,708 MX$32.1K

24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 CA$2,457

$1,075 MX$20.2K

63.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,770 CA$10.9K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

97.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,085 CA$8,502

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-1.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,980 CA$4,163

$735 MX$13.8K

305.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

11.45

-60.26%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 26, 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

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 73.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$331 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23% $76

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$221 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 38.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$128 5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.7% $16

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$62 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 9% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,744 in Scarborough 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 Scarborough are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Scarborough versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

Same time as Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Scarborough Playa del Carmen 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

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

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Scarborough 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 $1,744 in Scarborough.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,561 in Scarborough and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% 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 Scarborough at $2,561. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.