Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,619 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index
59

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

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Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,619

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Ilopango versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ilopango $1,619
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,863 in Ilopango versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Ilopango $1,863
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,107 in Ilopango versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Ilopango $2,107
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Ilopango is roughly 34% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ilopango is 19% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 $3.23

$10.86 MX$203

-70.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 $44.80

$44.21 MX$827

1.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 $4.97

$11.76 MX$220

-57.74%

Cappuccino

$2.96 $2.96

$3.68 MX$68.9

-19.57%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$1.34 MX$25.11

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.82 MX$15.44

20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 $0.92

$3.06 MX$57.3

-69.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$4.94 MX$92.4

-64.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.47 MX$27.52

117.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.22 MX$41.47

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.48 MX$27.67

106.76%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$2.49 MX$46.59

18.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$7.52 MX$141

-34.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$7.96 MX$149

-25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$12.57 MX$235

-18.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.78 MX$52.0

7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.43 MX$26.71

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.62 MX$48.99

-25.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.14 MX$39.99

-4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.02 MX$37.86

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.99 MX$37.21

2.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.14 MX$21.28

-18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.20 MX$22.46

-14.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.26 MX$79.7

-8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 $11.84

$10.02 MX$187

18.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.54 MX$28.77

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.66 MX$49.80

-22.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 $0.88

$0.53 MX$9.85

66.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 $35.26

$27.51 MX$515

28.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.90 MX$91.8

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.43 MX$64.3

-35.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 $4.66

$5.38 MX$101

-13.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.45 MX$27.10

-53.10%

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

$19.8K $19.8K

$21.2K MX$396.0K

-6.27%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$23.0K MX$430.8K

10.07%

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

$35.69 $35.69

$85.4 MX$1,598

-58.19%

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

$9.91 $9.91

$23.46 MX$439

-57.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.70 $40.70

$28.43 MX$532

43.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.29 $40.29

$62.2 MX$1,164

-35.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 $10.07

$28.68 MX$537

-64.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 $5.14

$5.10 MX$95.5

0.78%

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

$103 $103

$201 MX$3,763

-48.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,882 $1,882

$3,947 MX$73.9K

-52.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.18 $20.18

$44.39 MX$831

-54.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 $30.10

$41.35 MX$774

-27.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 $74.3

$72.7 MX$1,362

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$89.6 MX$1,677

-34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 $672

$979 MX$18.3K

-31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 $1,002

$373 MX$6,976

168.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 $592

$1,681 MX$31.5K

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 $619

$1,095 MX$20.5K

-43.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,689 $1,689

$3,949 MX$73.9K

-57.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$953 $953

$6,137 MX$114.9K

-84.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,010 $1,010

$738 MX$13.8K

36.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-47.60%

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

Last update for Ilopango: October 20, 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

Ilopango

$1K 61.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 62.8% $629

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$249 15.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 3.6% $8.9

Eating Out

Ilopango

$92 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 118% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$86 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$83 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 35.2% $29

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 8.9% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$51 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 43.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Ilopango and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Ilopango vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $258, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h ahead of Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

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

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

From you

Ilopango
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Ilopango, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $672 in Ilopango versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $103 in Ilopango versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 22% less than in Ilopango. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,619 in Ilopango, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Ilopango on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.