Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Antiguo Cuscatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan: $808 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Antiguo Cuscatlan
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Antiguo Cuscatlan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Antiguo Cuscatlan

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $808 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Antiguo Cuscatlan $808

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,297 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,297

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,785 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,785

Playa del Carmen costs about 49% more than Antiguo Cuscatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Antiguo Cuscatlan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Antiguo Cuscatlan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$6.71 $6.71

59.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$44.18 $44.18

-0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.10 $7.10

66.06%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.46 $3.46

9.54%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.12 $1.12

16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.79 $0.79

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$1.95 $1.95

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.56 $3.56

38.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.86 $1.86

-24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.79 $2.79

-21.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.40 $1.40

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.09 $3.09

-19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.77 $7.77

-6.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$6.96 $6.96

14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.08 $10.08

27.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$5.15 $5.15

-43.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.44 $1.44

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.54 $2.54

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$3.43 $3.43

-40.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.95 $2.95

-31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$3.21 $3.21

-40.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.96 $0.96

18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.93 $0.93

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.04 $4.04

5.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$12.15 $12.15

-19.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$2.27 $2.27

-29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.82 $2.82

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$5.86 $5.86

-18.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$2.95 $2.95

10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$19.95 $19.95

-72.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.24 $1.24

23.39%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$24.5K $24.5K

-13.52%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$26.7K $26.7K

-12.97%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$130 $130

-35.95%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$21.32 $21.32

8.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$42.92 $42.92

-35.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$4.95 $4.95

1.01%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$160 $160

29.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,730 $4,730

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$65.8 $65.8

-33.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$46.54 $46.54

-8.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$116 $116

-37.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$117 $117

-24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$612 $612

62.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Antiguo Cuscatlan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$286 35.4% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$141 17.5% 29.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$195 24.1% 44.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$156 19.3% 39.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$9.9 * 1.2% 85.1% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$21 * 2.6% 59.2% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $612 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $286 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Antiguo Cuscatlan

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

33,767

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Antiguo Cuscatlan 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Antiguo Cuscatlan

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $808 in Antiguo Cuscatlan – Antiguo Cuscatlan comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,211 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $612 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $160 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $808 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That makes Antiguo Cuscatlan about 33% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Antiguo Cuscatlan, where all-in costs run around $808, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Antiguo Cuscatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $808 in Antiguo Cuscatlan to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.