Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Albert, AB and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in St. Albert, AB and in Playa del Carmen: $1,167 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index
59

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

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St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $1,167
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,457 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $2,457
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,747 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $3,747
Playa del Carmen $3,016

St. Albert, AB is about 4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Albert, AB and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – St. Albert, AB 14% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.29 CA$27.42

$10.76 MX$199

79.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 CA$98.4

$43.03 MX$794

60.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 CA$14.08

$11.79 MX$218

-16.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.41

$3.87 MX$71.4

-1.55%

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

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.37 MX$25.26

49.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 CA$2.84

$0.84 MX$15.43

138.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.14

$3.10 MX$57.2

62.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$8.01

$5.07 MX$93.5

11.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 CA$2.39

$1.44 MX$26.52

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.09

$2.23 MX$41.19

-2.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$1.47 MX$27.14

106.80%

Eggs

$3.46 CA$4.91

$2.53 MX$46.66

36.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 CA$16.23

$7.30 MX$135

56.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 CA$16.12

$7.86 MX$145

44.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.19 CA$25.85

$12.79 MX$236

42.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.99

$2.90 MX$53.5

45.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.97

$1.44 MX$26.50

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.09

$2.55 MX$47.02

68.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.62

$2.06 MX$37.99

92.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.74

$2.00 MX$36.93

31.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.75

$2.01 MX$37.03

31.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.66

$1.19 MX$21.99

115.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.26 MX$23.20

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.80

$4.40 MX$81.3

216.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 CA$16.66

$9.59 MX$177

22.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.59 MX$29.38

52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.81 MX$51.9

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 CA$2.89

$0.57 MX$10.46

256.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 CA$86.1

$27.82 MX$514

117.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 CA$4.16

$4.98 MX$92.0

-41.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-61.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.70

$5.40 MX$99.7

287.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.57

$1.47 MX$27.05

-25.17%

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

$27.3K CA$38.8K

$21.0K MX$387.4K

29.96%

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

$19.5K CA$27.7K

$23.9K MX$441.3K

-18.58%

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

$160 CA$228

$84.2 MX$1,554

90.32%

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

$38.86 CA$55.2

$23.99 MX$443

61.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$29.02 MX$536

81.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 CA$56.9

$63.0 MX$1,163

-36.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$538

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.99

$4.94 MX$91.2

156.28%

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

$748 CA$1,062

$204 MX$3,759

267.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,306 CA$13.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

136.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 CA$79.2

$43.60 MX$805

27.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$55.5

$43.12 MX$796

-9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$75.8 MX$1,399

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$157

$88.6 MX$1,635

24.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,904

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 CA$1,896

$1,708 MX$31.5K

-21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 CA$1,597

$1,106 MX$20.4K

1.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,488 CA$3,536

$3,944 MX$72.8K

-36.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 CA$3,542

$6,169 MX$113.9K

-59.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,486

$754 MX$13.9K

318.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

11.45

-60.61%

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

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 28.2% $101

Eating Out

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 28.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 45.5% $115

Clothing & Footwear

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 12.9% $17

Getting Around

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 33% $26

Sport & Entertainment

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 11.5% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

St. Albert, AB

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 319% higher in St. Albert, AB, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in St. Albert, AB versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

1 h ahead of St. Albert, AB

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,232

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

St. Albert, AB Playa del Carmen 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Albert, AB
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

St. Albert, AB vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,751 per month in St. Albert, AB and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in St. Albert, AB and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 118% less in St. Albert, AB. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St. Albert, AB – 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 St. Albert, AB. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.