Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,614 in Sydney, NS, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
59

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

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Sydney, NS vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sydney, NS $1,614
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,535 per month in Sydney, NS vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sydney, NS $2,535
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,456 per month in Sydney, NS vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sydney, NS $3,456
Playa del Carmen $3,000

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

Sydney, NS sits 19% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 CA$15.74

$10.86 MX$201

2.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.0

$44.21 MX$817

40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 CA$10.12

$11.76 MX$217

-39.12%

Cappuccino

$2.87 CA$4.06

$3.68 MX$68.0

-22.01%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.34 MX$24.79

73.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.92

$0.82 MX$15.24

152.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$1.47 MX$27.17

46.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$2.22 MX$40.95

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$1.48 MX$27.32

62.84%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.69

$2.49 MX$45.99

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 CA$8.87

$7.52 MX$139

-16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 CA$11.63

$7.96 MX$147

3.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 CA$18.36

$12.57 MX$232

3.34%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 CA$9.91

$2.78 MX$51.3

152.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.43 MX$26.37

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$2.14 MX$39.49

-35.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 CA$1.18

$2.02 MX$37.38

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.68

$1.99 MX$36.74

-4.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.30 CA$8.90

$1.14 MX$21.01

452.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.78 CA$25.14

$4.26 MX$78.7

317.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.92

$2.66 MX$49.17

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$0.53 MX$9.73

103.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.48 CA$68.5

$27.51 MX$508

76.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 CA$5.87

$4.90 MX$90.6

-15.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.45 MX$26.76

-17.24%

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

$25.7K CA$36.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

21.69%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-16.81%

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

$86.3 CA$122

$85.4 MX$1,577

1.09%

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

$36.04 CA$51.0

$23.46 MX$434

53.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$104

$28.43 MX$525

157.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$62.2 MX$1,149

-19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$28.68 MX$530

-87.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 CA$9.96

$5.10 MX$94.3

38.04%

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

$721 CA$1,020

$201 MX$3,715

258.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 CA$96.3

$44.39 MX$820

53.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 CA$95.1

$41.35 MX$764

62.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 CA$141

$72.7 MX$1,344

37.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$89.6 MX$1,656

17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$979 MX$18.1K

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 CA$1,024

$373 MX$6,887

94.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 CA$2,479

$1,681 MX$31.1K

4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,943

$1,095 MX$20.2K

25.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,527 CA$3,573

$738 MX$13.6K

242.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

11.45

-49.34%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 48.5% $351

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.9% $58

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 23.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$64 4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 13.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 9.2% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $893 in Sydney, NS versus $979 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 243% higher in Sydney, NS, 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 $62.0 in Sydney, NS versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sydney, NS vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Sydney, NS wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

2 h behind Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

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

Sydney, NS Playa del Carmen 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Sydney, NS 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Sydney, NS and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 34%.

Public transport costs about 76% 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 Sydney, NS at $1,614. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney, NS 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, Sydney, NS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.