Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aguilares

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.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
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Aguilares Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Aguilares

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Aguilares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Aguilares $806

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

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

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

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

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 51% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$6.90 $6.90

58.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$44.21 $44.21

1.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$6.90 $6.90

72.75%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.70 $3.70

2.70%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.15 $1.15

13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.79 $0.79

8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$1.96 $1.96

63.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.58 $3.58

39.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.85 $1.85

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.77 $2.77

-15.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.37 $1.37

5.11%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$3.12 $3.12

-21.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$7.51 $7.51

2.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$6.78 $6.78

16.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$10.37 $10.37

23.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$5.11 $5.11

-42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.47 $1.47

-3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.94 $2.94

-12.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$3.52 $3.52

-39.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.96 $2.96

-34.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$3.34 $3.34

-41.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.96 $0.96

27.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.96 $3.96

10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$11.79 $11.79

-16.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.27 $2.27

-32.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.89 $2.89

-5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$5.90 $5.90

-16.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$2.96 $2.96

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$19.87 $19.87

-71.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.20 $1.20

28.33%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$25.2K $25.2K

-15.73%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$26.9K $26.9K

-8.83%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$128 $128

-34.87%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$21.01 $21.01

14.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$41.77 $41.77

-29.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$5.10 $5.10

-0.20%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$160 $160

29.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$4,767 $4,767

-15.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$66.4 $66.4

-32.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$46.24 $46.24

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$116 $116

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$117 $117

-21.89%

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 %)

11.45

8.5

34.71%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Aguilares

$287 35.5% 10.3% $27

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Aguilares

$145 17.9% 28.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Aguilares

$191 23.6% 39.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Aguilares

$156 19.2% 36.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3% 86.4% $65

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 60.3% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

21,445

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aguilares

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

Playa del Carmen vs Aguilares: 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 $1,823 in Playa del Carmen and $1,209 in Aguilares 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 $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $160 in Aguilares. 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.