Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sherbrooke and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,624 in Sherbrooke, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Sherbrooke
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Sherbrooke Living Index
59

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

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Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,624

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,624 per month in Sherbrooke vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sherbrooke $1,624
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,523 per month in Sherbrooke vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sherbrooke $2,523
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,423 per month in Sherbrooke vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sherbrooke $3,423
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sherbrooke costs about 34% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sherbrooke sits 20% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 CA$25.09

$10.76 MX$199

64.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 CA$94.0

$43.03 MX$795

54.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 CA$14.62

$11.79 MX$218

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CA$4.60

$3.87 MX$71.4

-15.76%

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

$1.84 CA$2.60

$1.37 MX$25.29

34.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$0.84 MX$15.44

109.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$7.99

$3.10 MX$57.3

82.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 CA$6.79

$5.07 MX$93.6

-5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 CA$3.82

$1.44 MX$26.55

87.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CA$3.82

$2.23 MX$41.23

21.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.97

$1.47 MX$27.17

139.46%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.23

$2.53 MX$46.71

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 CA$16.66

$7.30 MX$135

61.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$7.86 MX$145

37.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 CA$22.30

$12.79 MX$236

23.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.70

$2.90 MX$53.6

39.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.44 MX$26.53

2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$2.55 MX$47.07

41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$2.06 MX$38.03

67.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.36

$2.00 MX$36.97

-16.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.01 MX$37.07

32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$1.19 MX$22.02

47.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$1.26 MX$23.23

39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.16 CA$17.19

$4.40 MX$81.4

176.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.75 CA$16.60

$9.59 MX$177

22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 CA$5.37

$1.59 MX$29.41

138.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 CA$5.16

$2.81 MX$51.9

29.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$0.57 MX$10.47

371.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.3 CA$85.2

$27.82 MX$514

116.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$4.98 MX$92.1

-27.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 CA$1.22

$3.50 MX$64.6

-75.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 CA$46.45

$5.40 MX$99.8

508.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.47 MX$27.08

-13.61%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

29.73%

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

$18.8K CA$26.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-21.48%

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

$69.0 CA$97.6

$84.2 MX$1,556

-18.01%

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

$42.63 CA$60.3

$23.99 MX$443

77.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.15 CA$68.1

$29.02 MX$536

65.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.80 CA$39.30

$63.0 MX$1,164

-55.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.60 CA$9.32

$29.14 MX$539

-77.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 CA$14.22

$4.94 MX$91.3

103.64%

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

$853 CA$1,206

$204 MX$3,763

319.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,420 CA$13.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

139.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 CA$88.6

$43.60 MX$806

43.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.18 CA$44.07

$43.12 MX$797

-27.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 CA$85.6

$75.8 MX$1,400

-20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$88.6 MX$1,637

36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 CA$1,162

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-18.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 CA$824

$374 MX$6,911

55.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 CA$1,783

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-26.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 CA$1,383

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-11.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,181 CA$3,084

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-44.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 CA$2,440

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-72.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,707 CA$3,827

$754 MX$13.9K

258.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

11.45

-58.43%

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

Last update for Sherbrooke: October 11, 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

Sherbrooke

$583 35.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 35.8% $209

Groceries & Markets

Sherbrooke

$366 22.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 29.4% $107

Eating Out

Sherbrooke

$264 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 23.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sherbrooke

$160 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 14.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sherbrooke

$124 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 8.7% $11

Getting Around

Sherbrooke

$79 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 33.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sherbrooke

$48 3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 52.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $822 in Sherbrooke 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 259% higher in Sherbrooke, 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 Sherbrooke versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sherbrooke

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

1 h behind Sherbrooke

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,950

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sherbrooke Playa del Carmen 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sherbrooke
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

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

Yes – Sherbrooke is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,435 per month in Sherbrooke 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 $1,624 in Sherbrooke and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 34%.

Public transport costs about 117% 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 Sherbrooke at $1,624. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sherbrooke 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sherbrooke makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.