Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ahuachapan

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ahuachapan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 35% cheaper than Ahuachapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$6.83 $6.83

59.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$44.44 $44.44

-0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$7.11 $7.11

65.40%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$3.61 $3.61

1.94%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$1.12 $1.12

19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$0.81 $0.81

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$1.98 $1.98

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$3.49 $3.49

41.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.81 $1.81

-18.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$2.81 $2.81

-21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$1.39 $1.39

6.47%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$3.01 $3.01

-17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$7.58 $7.58

-0.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$6.83 $6.83

16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$10.36 $10.36

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$4.95 $4.95

-43.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.38 $1.38

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$2.55 $2.55

2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$3.43 $3.43

-37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$2.90 $2.90

-30.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$3.20 $3.20

-37.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.95 $0.95

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.91 $0.91

31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$3.88 $3.88

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$11.96 $11.96

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$2.21 $2.21

-30.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$2.94 $2.94

-9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$6.05 $6.05

-19.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$3.05 $3.05

12.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$19.82 $19.82

-72.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$1.25 $1.25

16.00%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$25.0K $25.0K

-15.39%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$27.1K $27.1K

-15.05%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$131 $131

-34.90%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$21.53 $21.53

8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$42.30 $42.30

-32.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$4.94 $4.94

3.24%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$164 $164

22.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$4,777 $4,777

-17.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$67.6 $67.6

-34.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$46.64 $46.64

-11.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$117 $117

-37.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$119 $119

-24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$530 $530

84.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$1,038 $1,038

-64.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$364 $364

361.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$389 $389

181.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

$3,064 $3,064

28.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$1,291 $1,291

375.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$552 $552

33.56%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ahuachapan

$1K 56.2% 178% $665

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ahuachapan

$283 15.3% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ahuachapan

$144 7.8% 28.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ahuachapan

$195 10.6% 42.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ahuachapan

$158 8.5% 41.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ahuachapan

$9.9 * 0.5% 86.4% $63

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.2% 58.8% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $530 in Ahuachapan. 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 Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Ahuachapan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $283 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,511

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ahuachapan

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 Ahuachapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,772 in Ahuachapan. 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 $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $164 in Ahuachapan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,848 in Ahuachapan. 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.