Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Playa del Carmen
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,466 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in El Salvador outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
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El Salvador Living Index72Cost of Living Index in El SalvadorLearn more -
Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: El Salvador is 14.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: El Salvador is 8.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.4% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.68 $6.68
$10.97 MX$201
-39.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.84 $44.84
$44.85 MX$823
-0.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.08 $7.08
$11.92 MX$219
-40.60%
Cappuccino
$3.57 $3.57
$3.80 MX$69.9
-6.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.31 MX$24.08
-12.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 $0.92
$0.86 MX$15.72
6.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.21 MX$59.0
-36.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$5.01 MX$92.0
-30.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 $1.84
$1.46 MX$26.77
26.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 $2.40
$2.33 MX$42.72
3.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.44 MX$26.48
7.64%
Eggs
$2.76 $2.76
$2.46 MX$45.20
12.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.61 $7.61
$7.70 MX$141
-1.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$7.89 MX$145
-24.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.99 $8.99
$12.80 MX$235
-29.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$2.92 MX$53.6
30.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.42 MX$26.11
22.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 $2.96
$2.57 MX$47.10
15.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$2.14 MX$39.24
36.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.95 MX$35.75
46.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.94 MX$35.55
19.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.15 MX$21.13
-15.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 $0.95
$1.22 MX$22.42
-22.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.97 $3.97
$4.38 MX$80.3
-9.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.90 $11.90
$9.85 MX$181
20.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 $1.90
$1.54 MX$28.23
23.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.72 MX$49.86
1.84%
🚌 Getting Around
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 $0.36
$0.52 MX$9.64
-30.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.46 $35.46
$27.42 MX$503
29.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 $6.51
$4.91 MX$90.2
32.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 $3.09
$3.52 MX$64.7
-12.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.04 $20.04
$5.69 MX$104
252.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 $1.19
$1.54 MX$28.27
-22.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$21.2K MX$389.9K
18.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K $28.3K
$24.5K MX$449.6K
15.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 $104
$83.6 MX$1,535
24.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 $22.38
$24.03 MX$441
-6.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.65 $41.65
$29.33 MX$539
42.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.73 $31.73
$64.9 MX$1,191
-51.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.60 $16.60
$29.46 MX$541
-43.65%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 $4.96
$5.09 MX$93.4
-2.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$167 $167
$208 MX$3,813
-19.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,427 $4,427
$4,045 MX$74.3K
9.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 $63.2
$44.55 MX$818
41.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.16 $49.16
$42.06 MX$772
16.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 $119
$75.5 MX$1,387
57.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$91.4 MX$1,678
12.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$733 $733
$986 MX$18.1K
-25.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 $655
$385 MX$7,072
70.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,261 $1,261
$1,713 MX$31.5K
-26.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$881 $881
$1,108 MX$20.4K
-20.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,730 $2,730
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-32.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,601 $1,601
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-74.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
El Salvador
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$440 $440
$758 MX$13.9K
-41.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.48
11.45
-25.94%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for El Salvador: October 3, 2026
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador $655 44.3%
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4% 41.2% $270
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador $262 17.7%
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2% 0.8% $2.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador $168 11.4%
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2% 18.6% $31
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador $150 10.2%
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3% 24.2% $36
Eating Out
El Salvador $143 9.7%
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6% 42.7% $61
Getting Around
El Salvador $59 4%
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2% 11.6% $6.8
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador $42 2.8%
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1% 80.2% $33
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador $881 32.2%
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5% 25.8% $227
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador $603 22.1%
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8% 0.2% $1.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador $191 7%
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3% 15.5% $30
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador $334 12.2%
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3% 24.2% $81
Eating Out
El Salvador $508 18.6%
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8% 24.3% $123
Getting Around
El Salvador $118 4.3%
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5% 11.2% $13
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador $100 3.7%
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9% 79.7% $80
Good to know
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
Weather
Population
6,029,976
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- El Salvador Playa del Carmen 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
- El Salvador
- 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
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