Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,212 in Windsor, NS, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Windsor, NS
Learn more

Windsor, NS Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Windsor, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,212 per month in Windsor, NS vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor, NS $2,212
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,268 per month in Windsor, NS vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor, NS $3,268
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,324 per month in Windsor, NS vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Windsor, NS $4,324
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Windsor, NS costs about 84% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Windsor, NS sits 62% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 CA$26.60

$10.92 MX$204

73.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.52 CA$49.90

$43.37 MX$810

-18.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 CA$15.20

$11.78 MX$220

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.13

$3.81 MX$71.2

-4.20%

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

$2.06 CA$2.89

$1.28 MX$23.96

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.62

$0.78 MX$14.63

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 CA$6.17

$3.17 MX$59.2

38.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 CA$7.86

$4.93 MX$92.2

13.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 CA$4.13

$1.41 MX$26.28

108.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$2.22 MX$41.43

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.98

$1.42 MX$26.48

149.30%

Eggs

$3.74 CA$5.26

$2.52 MX$47.14

48.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 CA$19.25

$7.26 MX$136

88.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 CA$21.51

$7.70 MX$144

98.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 CA$18.56

$12.69 MX$237

4.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 CA$8.10

$2.78 MX$52.0

107.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CA$2.17

$1.37 MX$25.56

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 CA$6.67

$2.55 MX$47.66

86.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 CA$8.14

$2.12 MX$39.67

173.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CA$2.91

$1.94 MX$36.22

6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CA$3.02

$1.89 MX$35.24

13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.50

$1.15 MX$21.42

116.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CA$2.95

$1.18 MX$22.03

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$19.91

$4.30 MX$80.3

229.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 CA$20.16

$9.95 MX$186

44.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 CA$4.60

$1.58 MX$29.59

106.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 CA$5.54

$2.67 MX$49.91

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 CA$3.57

$0.55 MX$10.34

361.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.0 CA$89.9

$26.62 MX$497

140.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$4.97 MX$92.9

-42.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.96

$3.33 MX$62.2

-57.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.04 CA$29.56

$5.36 MX$100

292.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.44 MX$26.98

-15.28%

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

$26.7K CA$37.6K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

29.36%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-9.28%

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

$125 CA$176

$84.8 MX$1,584

47.98%

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

$31.80 CA$44.68

$23.41 MX$437

35.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.09 CA$50.7

$28.66 MX$535

25.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.05 CA$50.7

$57.1 MX$1,066

-36.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.45 CA$24.52

$28.91 MX$540

-39.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 CA$18.16

$5.14 MX$96.0

151.36%

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

$379 CA$532

$207 MX$3,860

83.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K CA$19.3K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

249.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 CA$84.2

$43.35 MX$810

38.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.29 CA$49.58

$41.44 MX$774

-14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$74.2 MX$1,386

39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 CA$165

$89.3 MX$1,668

31.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 CA$1,777

$980 MX$18.3K

29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 CA$1,440

$381 MX$7,116

169.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 CA$2,576

$1,708 MX$31.9K

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 CA$2,457

$1,075 MX$20.1K

62.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,604 CA$6,468

$3,943 MX$73.7K

16.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 CA$4,844

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-44.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 CA$1,321

$735 MX$13.7K

28.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.45

-59.83%

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

Last update for Windsor, NS: October 26, 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

Windsor, NS

$1K 46.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 62.8% $644

Groceries & Markets

Windsor, NS

$429 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 40.6% $174

Eating Out

Windsor, NS

$277 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 26.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windsor, NS

$193 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Windsor, NS

$142 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.4% $30

Getting Around

Windsor, NS

$84 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Windsor, NS

$62 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,265 in Windsor, NS 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 run about 28% higher in Windsor, 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 $36 in Windsor, NS versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $429 in Windsor, NS vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Windsor, NS

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

2 h behind Windsor, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,188

149,923

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Windsor, NS Playa del Carmen 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Windsor, 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

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

Yes – Windsor, NS is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,317 per month in Windsor, 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,265 in Windsor, NS.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,212 in Windsor, NS and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 84%.

Public transport costs about 58% 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, NS at $2,212. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windsor, 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, Windsor, NS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.