Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaughan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index
59

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

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Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,554 per month in Vaughan vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaughan $2,554
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,726 per month in Vaughan vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaughan $3,726
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,898 per month in Vaughan vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaughan $4,898
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Vaughan costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Vaughan sits 89% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 CA$23.66

$10.76 MX$199

55.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$95.4

$43.03 MX$795

56.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 CA$14.13

$11.79 MX$218

-15.27%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$3.87 MX$71.4

-5.94%

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

$1.97 CA$2.78

$1.37 MX$25.29

43.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$0.84 MX$15.44

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$3.10 MX$57.3

102.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$5.07 MX$93.6

19.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.44 MX$26.55

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$2.23 MX$41.23

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.47 MX$27.17

82.99%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.22

$2.53 MX$46.71

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$7.30 MX$135

26.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 CA$17.10

$7.86 MX$145

53.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 CA$19.22

$12.79 MX$236

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$2.90 MX$53.6

17.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.44 MX$26.53

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$2.55 MX$47.07

37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.06 MX$38.03

55.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

-20.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$2.01 MX$37.07

-20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.19 MX$22.02

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.26 MX$23.23

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 CA$17.68

$4.40 MX$81.4

184.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 CA$16.85

$9.59 MX$177

24.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$1.59 MX$29.41

23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.81 MX$51.9

-49.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$0.57 MX$10.47

380.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CA$147

$27.82 MX$514

274.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$3.50 MX$64.6

-66.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 CA$30.74

$5.40 MX$99.8

302.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.47 MX$27.08

-25.85%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

14.71%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-21.25%

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

$110 CA$156

$84.2 MX$1,556

31.02%

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

$29.17 CA$41.24

$23.99 MX$443

21.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 CA$70.1

$29.02 MX$536

70.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 CA$44.77

$63.0 MX$1,164

-49.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 CA$29.46

$29.14 MX$539

-28.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 CA$13.80

$4.94 MX$91.3

97.57%

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

$910 CA$1,286

$204 MX$3,763

346.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K CA$24.0K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

329.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 CA$59.4

$43.60 MX$806

-3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 CA$52.0

$43.12 MX$797

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$150

$75.8 MX$1,400

39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$88.6 MX$1,637

18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,359

$1,008 MX$18.6K

65.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CA$2,090

$374 MX$6,911

295.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 CA$3,716

$1,708 MX$31.6K

53.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,415

$1,106 MX$20.4K

118.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 CA$12.3K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

120.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,171 CA$8,724

$6,169 MX$114.0K

0.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 CA$4,107

$754 MX$13.9K

285.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.45

-52.93%

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

Last update for Vaughan: October 10, 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

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 74.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Vaughan

$316 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 18.1% $57

Eating Out

Vaughan

$265 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 23.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaughan

$189 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 27.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Vaughan

$130 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 13.2% $17

Getting Around

Vaughan

$124 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 57.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Vaughan

$51 2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 42.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,669 in Vaughan 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 285% higher in Vaughan, 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 $67.0 in Vaughan versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

13:53 1:53 PM

1 h behind Vaughan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,103

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 19, 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 19, 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

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

From you

Vaughan
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

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

Yes – Vaughan is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,831 per month in Vaughan 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 $2,554 in Vaughan and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 111%.

Public transport costs about 275% 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 Vaughan at $2,554. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaughan 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, Vaughan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.