Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yellowknife and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
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Yellowknife Living Index
59

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

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Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,916 per month in Yellowknife vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yellowknife $2,916
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,085 per month in Yellowknife vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yellowknife $4,085
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,255 per month in Yellowknife vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yellowknife $5,255
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Yellowknife costs about 141% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yellowknife sits 116% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 CA$27.31

$10.76 MX$199

79.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 CA$121

$43.03 MX$795

98.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 CA$12.19

$11.79 MX$218

-26.80%

Cappuccino

$4.22 CA$5.97

$3.87 MX$71.4

9.04%

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

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.37 MX$25.29

65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$0.84 MX$15.44

146.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 CA$8.65

$3.10 MX$57.3

97.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.74

$5.07 MX$93.6

35.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.44 MX$26.55

96.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$2.23 MX$41.23

18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 CA$6.57

$1.47 MX$27.17

216.33%

Eggs

$3.26 CA$4.60

$2.53 MX$46.71

28.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 CA$9.80

$7.30 MX$135

-5.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 CA$22.86

$7.86 MX$145

105.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.67

$12.79 MX$236

19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.80

$2.90 MX$53.6

65.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.04

$1.44 MX$26.53

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 CA$7.15

$2.55 MX$47.07

98.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.14 CA$10.10

$2.06 MX$38.03

246.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.08

$2.00 MX$36.97

115.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.08

$2.01 MX$37.07

79.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.43 CA$4.84

$1.19 MX$22.02

188.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$1.26 MX$23.23

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.03 CA$24.08

$4.40 MX$81.4

287.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CA$19.55

$9.59 MX$177

44.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.78

$1.59 MX$29.41

157.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 CA$8.68

$2.81 MX$51.9

118.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$0.57 MX$10.47

273.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$27.82 MX$514

85.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-60.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.47 MX$27.08

-12.24%

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

$23.4K CA$33.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

11.64%

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

$18.7K CA$26.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-21.65%

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

$354 CA$501

$84.2 MX$1,556

320.89%

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

$56.9 CA$80.4

$23.99 MX$443

137.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.5 CA$138

$29.02 MX$536

236.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CA$102

$63.0 MX$1,164

14.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 CA$13.70

$4.94 MX$91.3

96.15%

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

$575 CA$813

$204 MX$3,763

182.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$89.9

$43.60 MX$806

45.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 CA$48.61

$43.12 MX$797

-20.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 CA$140

$75.8 MX$1,400

30.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$88.6 MX$1,637

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 CA$1,991

$1,008 MX$18.6K

39.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 CA$1,955

$374 MX$6,911

269.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 CA$2,969

$1,708 MX$31.6K

22.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 CA$2,898

$1,106 MX$20.4K

85.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,983 CA$4,217

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-24.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,765 CA$3,909

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-55.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,903 CA$5,518

$754 MX$13.9K

417.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

11.45

-53.54%

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

Last update for Yellowknife: October 13, 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

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 73% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yellowknife

$509 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 73% $372

Groceries & Markets

Yellowknife

$429 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 39.8% $171

Eating Out

Yellowknife

$293 10%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 30.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Yellowknife

$140 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 19.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Yellowknife

$92 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 20.5% $19

Getting Around

Yellowknife

$70 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 25.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,408 in Yellowknife 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 417% higher in Yellowknife, 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 $85.0 in Yellowknife versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $429 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h ahead of Yellowknife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,234

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yellowknife Playa del Carmen 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Yellowknife
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

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

Yes – Yellowknife is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,373 per month in Yellowknife 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 $2,916 in Yellowknife and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 141%.

Public transport costs about 86% 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 Yellowknife at $2,916. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yellowknife 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, Yellowknife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.