Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stratford, ON and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,992 in Stratford, ON, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Stratford, ON
Learn more

Stratford, ON Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Stratford, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,992

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,992 per month in Stratford, ON vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stratford, ON $1,992
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,189 per month in Stratford, ON vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stratford, ON $3,189
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,387 per month in Stratford, ON vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stratford, ON $4,387
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Stratford, ON costs about 65% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Stratford, ON sits 46% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 CA$24.76

$10.92 MX$203

62.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.39 CA$69.1

$43.37 MX$808

13.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 CA$15.76

$11.78 MX$219

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$3.46 CA$4.83

$3.81 MX$71.0

-9.19%

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

$1.49 CA$2.08

$1.28 MX$23.89

16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.85

$0.78 MX$14.58

70.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.16 CA$5.82

$3.17 MX$59.0

31.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 CA$6.40

$4.93 MX$91.9

-7.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$2.99

$1.41 MX$26.20

51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$2.22 MX$41.30

30.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.25

$1.42 MX$26.40

164.08%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.25

$2.52 MX$47.00

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 CA$14.57

$7.26 MX$135

43.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.23

$7.70 MX$143

50.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 CA$30.89

$12.69 MX$236

74.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.07

$2.78 MX$51.9

30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 CA$1.49

$1.37 MX$25.49

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 CA$6.16

$2.55 MX$47.52

72.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 CA$6.36

$2.12 MX$39.55

114.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.83

$1.94 MX$36.11

78.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 CA$3.21

$1.89 MX$35.13

21.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.49

$1.15 MX$21.36

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.06

$1.18 MX$21.96

24.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.13 CA$15.57

$4.30 MX$80.0

158.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 CA$15.21

$9.95 MX$185

9.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CA$4.70

$1.58 MX$29.50

112.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CA$4.42

$2.67 MX$49.76

18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$0.55 MX$10.31

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.32 CA$69.0

$26.62 MX$496

85.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 CA$3.25

$4.97 MX$92.6

-53.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 CA$2.58

$3.33 MX$62.1

-44.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.43 CA$34.17

$5.36 MX$99.8

355.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.51

$1.44 MX$26.90

-25.00%

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

$27.7K CA$38.8K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

34.11%

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

$22.8K CA$31.8K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

-3.01%

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

$121 CA$169

$84.8 MX$1,580

42.81%

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

$39.64 CA$55.4

$23.41 MX$436

69.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.75 CA$44.40

$28.66 MX$534

10.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.49 CA$59.4

$57.1 MX$1,063

-25.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.24 CA$26.92

$28.91 MX$539

-33.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 CA$14.42

$5.14 MX$95.7

100.58%

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

$823 CA$1,152

$207 MX$3,848

298.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K CA$23.7K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

331.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 CA$90.0

$43.35 MX$808

48.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.14 CA$52.0

$41.44 MX$772

-10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 CA$120

$74.2 MX$1,382

16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 CA$177

$89.3 MX$1,663

41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 CA$1,691

$980 MX$18.2K

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 CA$1,234

$381 MX$7,095

131.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 CA$2,961

$1,708 MX$31.8K

23.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 CA$2,646

$1,075 MX$20.0K

75.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,782 CA$5,290

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-4.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,765 CA$3,868

$735 MX$13.7K

276.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

11.45

-56.42%

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

Last update for Stratford, ON: October 27, 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

Stratford, ON

$883 44.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 56.8% $502

Groceries & Markets

Stratford, ON

$385 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 33.9% $131

Eating Out

Stratford, ON

$258 13%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 21.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stratford, ON

$192 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 28.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Stratford, ON

$141 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20.9% $30

Getting Around

Stratford, ON

$69 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Stratford, ON

$63 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,209 in Stratford, ON 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 Stratford, ON are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Stratford, ON versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Stratford, ON

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

1 h behind Stratford, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,465

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

Stratford, ON Playa del Carmen 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Stratford, ON
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

Stratford, ON vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stratford, ON is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,988 per month in Stratford, ON 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 $1,209 in Stratford, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,992 in Stratford, ON and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% 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 Stratford, ON at $1,992. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stratford, ON 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, Stratford, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.