Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahuachapan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,848 in Ahuachapan, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ahuachapan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index
59

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

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Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,848

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Ahuachapan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahuachapan $1,848
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,014 per month in Ahuachapan vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,014
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,180 per month in Ahuachapan vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,180
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Ahuachapan costs about 53% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ahuachapan sits 36% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 $6.83

$10.86 MX$203

-37.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 $44.44

$44.21 MX$827

0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 $7.11

$11.76 MX$220

-39.54%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$3.68 MX$68.9

-1.90%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 MX$25.11

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.82 MX$15.44

-1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.06 MX$57.3

-35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$4.94 MX$92.4

-29.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.47 MX$27.52

23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.22 MX$41.47

26.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.48 MX$27.67

-6.08%

Eggs

$3.01 $3.01

$2.49 MX$46.59

20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.52 MX$141

0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$7.96 MX$149

-14.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 $10.36

$12.57 MX$235

-17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.78 MX$52.0

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.43 MX$26.71

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.62 MX$48.99

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.14 MX$39.99

60.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.02 MX$37.86

43.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.99 MX$37.21

60.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.14 MX$21.28

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.20 MX$22.46

-24.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.26 MX$79.7

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 $11.96

$10.02 MX$187

19.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.54 MX$28.77

43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.66 MX$49.80

10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.90 MX$91.8

23.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.43 MX$64.3

-11.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$5.38 MX$101

268.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.45 MX$27.10

-13.79%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$21.2K MX$396.0K

18.19%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.0K MX$430.8K

17.72%

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

$131 $131

$85.4 MX$1,598

53.61%

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

$21.53 $21.53

$23.46 MX$439

-8.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.30 $42.30

$28.43 MX$532

48.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 $4.94

$5.10 MX$95.5

-3.14%

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

$164 $164

$201 MX$3,763

-18.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,777 $4,777

$3,947 MX$73.9K

21.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 $67.6

$44.39 MX$831

52.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 $46.64

$41.35 MX$774

12.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$72.7 MX$1,362

60.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$89.6 MX$1,677

32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 $530

$979 MX$18.3K

-45.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$373 MX$6,976

178.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$364 $364

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-78.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 $389

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-64.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,064 $3,064

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-22.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,291 $1,291

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-78.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 $552

$738 MX$13.8K

-25.13%

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 Ahuachapan: October 18, 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

Ahuachapan

$1K 56.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 64.1% $665

Groceries & Markets

Ahuachapan

$283 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 8.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahuachapan

$195 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 29.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ahuachapan

$158 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.1% $46

Eating Out

Ahuachapan

$144 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 39.2% $56

Getting Around

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 143% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ahuachapan

$9.9 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 633% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Ahuachapan 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 34% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ahuachapan versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Ahuachapan vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

1 h ahead of Ahuachapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,511

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ahuachapan Playa del Carmen 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ahuachapan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,848 in Ahuachapan, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,772 per month in Ahuachapan 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 Ahuachapan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Ahuachapan and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Ahuachapan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 53%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ahuachapan at $1,848. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ahuachapan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,848 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.