Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windsor and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,263 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index
59

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

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Windsor

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,263

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,263 per month in Windsor vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor $2,263
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,120 per month in Windsor vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor $3,120
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,978 per month in Windsor vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor $3,978
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Windsor costs about 88% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Windsor sits 67% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.12 CA$19.96

$10.86 MX$201

30.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$89.9

$44.21 MX$817

43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 CA$14.78

$11.76 MX$217

-11.14%

Cappuccino

$3.46 CA$4.89

$3.68 MX$68.0

-5.98%

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

$2.59 CA$3.66

$1.34 MX$24.79

93.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 CA$2.44

$0.82 MX$15.24

109.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 CA$7.21

$3.06 MX$56.6

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 CA$8.46

$4.94 MX$91.2

21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.47 MX$27.17

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.22 MX$40.95

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.48 MX$27.32

107.43%

Eggs

$2.86 CA$4.05

$2.49 MX$45.99

14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 CA$14.43

$7.52 MX$139

35.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.37 CA$14.66

$7.96 MX$147

30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 CA$20.30

$12.57 MX$232

14.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$2.78 MX$51.3

39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.40

$1.43 MX$26.37

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 CA$4.36

$2.62 MX$48.37

17.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$2.14 MX$39.49

69.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$2.02 MX$37.38

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.99 MX$36.74

10.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.14 MX$21.01

96.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.20 MX$22.18

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 CA$18.19

$4.26 MX$78.7

201.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 CA$16.63

$10.02 MX$185

17.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 CA$2.70

$1.54 MX$28.41

24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 CA$4.69

$2.66 MX$49.17

24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 CA$3.81

$0.53 MX$9.73

407.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 CA$123

$27.51 MX$508

217.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$4.90 MX$90.6

-53.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 CA$1.44

$3.43 MX$63.5

-70.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$5.38 MX$99.4

165.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$1.45 MX$26.76

-17.93%

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

$26.7K CA$37.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

26.24%

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

$21.7K CA$30.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-5.83%

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

$184 CA$260

$85.4 MX$1,577

115.22%

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

$37.76 CA$53.4

$23.46 MX$434

60.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.3 CA$78.2

$28.43 MX$525

94.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.83 CA$63.4

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$28.68 MX$530

-0.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 CA$14.98

$5.10 MX$94.3

107.84%

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

$491 CA$695

$201 MX$3,715

144.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,278 CA$6,048

$3,947 MX$72.9K

8.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.21 CA$62.5

$44.39 MX$820

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 CA$47.00

$41.35 MX$764

-19.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 CA$115

$72.7 MX$1,344

12.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CA$114

$89.6 MX$1,656

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 CA$1,655

$979 MX$18.1K

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 CA$1,622

$373 MX$6,887

207.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 CA$2,549

$1,681 MX$31.1K

7.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 CA$2,144

$1,095 MX$20.2K

38.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,964 CA$4,191

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-24.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,973 CA$4,203

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-51.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,117 CA$4,406

$738 MX$13.6K

322.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.71

11.45

-58.86%

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

Last update for Windsor: October 20, 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

Windsor

$1.1K 50.7%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 67.5% $775

Groceries & Markets

Windsor

$319 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 19% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windsor

$277 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.4% $140

Eating Out

Windsor

$241 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 16.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Windsor

$108 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.5% $3.8

Getting Around

Windsor

$105 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 51% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Windsor

$66 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 9.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,171 in Windsor 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 323% higher in Windsor, 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 $64.0 in Windsor versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Windsor

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h behind Windsor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,188

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

Windsor Playa del Carmen 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Windsor
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

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

Yes – Windsor is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,394 per month in Windsor 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 $2,263 in Windsor and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 88%.

Public transport costs about 217% 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 Windsor at $2,263. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windsor 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, Windsor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.