Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguilares and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $806 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
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Aguilares Living Index
60

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

Jump to prices

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Aguilares versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguilares $806
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,292 in Aguilares versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguilares $1,292
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,777 in Aguilares versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Aguilares $1,777
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Aguilares costs roughly 34% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguilares 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.90 $6.90

$10.97 MX$201

-37.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 $44.21

$44.85 MX$823

-1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 $6.90

$11.92 MX$219

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$3.70 $3.70

$3.80 MX$69.9

-2.63%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$1.31 MX$24.08

-12.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.86 MX$15.72

-8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.21 MX$59.0

-38.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 $3.58

$5.01 MX$92.0

-28.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.46 MX$26.77

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.33 MX$42.72

18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.44 MX$26.48

-4.86%

Eggs

$3.12 $3.12

$2.46 MX$45.20

26.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 $7.51

$7.70 MX$141

-2.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$7.89 MX$145

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 $10.37

$12.80 MX$235

-18.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.92 MX$53.6

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.42 MX$26.11

3.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.57 MX$47.10

14.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.14 MX$39.24

64.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.95 MX$35.75

51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.94 MX$35.55

72.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.15 MX$21.13

-15.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.22 MX$22.42

-21.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.38 MX$80.3

-9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.79 $11.79

$9.85 MX$181

19.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.54 MX$28.23

47.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.72 MX$49.86

6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.91 MX$90.2

20.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.52 MX$64.7

-15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.87 $19.87

$5.69 MX$104

249.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.54 MX$28.27

-22.08%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

18.66%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

9.68%

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

$128 $128

$83.6 MX$1,535

53.55%

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

$21.01 $21.01

$24.03 MX$441

-12.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.77 $41.77

$29.33 MX$539

42.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$5.09 MX$93.4

0.20%

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

$160 $160

$208 MX$3,813

-22.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,767 $4,767

$4,045 MX$74.3K

17.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$44.55 MX$818

49.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.24 $46.24

$42.06 MX$772

9.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$75.5 MX$1,387

54.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$91.4 MX$1,678

28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.45

-25.76%

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

Last update for Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aguilares

$287 35.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 9.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguilares

$191 23.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 28.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Aguilares

$156 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 26.8% $42

Eating Out

Aguilares

$145 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 40.7% $59

Getting Around

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 152% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 636% $65

Accommodation & Living

Aguilares

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44.00 in Aguilares vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $260, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

1 h ahead of Aguilares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,445

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aguilares Playa del Carmen 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aguilares
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

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

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,209 in Aguilares and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $160 in Aguilares versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aguilares – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $806 in Aguilares versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguilares but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Aguilares the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguilares delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguilares hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Aguilares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.