Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and As Salt

For one person, living is cheaper in As Salt: $687 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in As Salt
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As Salt Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

As Salt

🇯🇴 Jordan

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in As Salt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $687 in As Salt.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
As Salt $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,084 in As Salt.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
As Salt $1,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,482 in As Salt.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
As Salt $1,482

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 75% more expensive than in As Salt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, As Salt 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.86 JOD 3.44

124.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$21.46 JOD 15.20

102.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.01 JOD 4.96

68.05%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.15 JOD 1.52

77.21%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.38 JOD 0.27

236.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.29 JOD 0.21

168.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$5.66 JOD 4.01

-43.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.29 JOD 3.04

14.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.24 JOD 0.88

13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.29 JOD 0.20

665.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-7.79%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.70 JOD 1.20

48.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$4.63 JOD 3.28

56.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.39 JOD 2.40

127.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.45 JOD 8.82

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.56 JOD 1.10

78.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.47 JOD 1.04

-6.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.43 JOD 1.01

78.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$0.77 JOD 0.55

175.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$0.79 JOD 0.56

145.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.56 JOD 0.39

237.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.48 JOD 0.34

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.58 JOD 0.41

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.60 JOD 2.55

19.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$14.07 JOD 9.96

-29.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$4.33 JOD 3.07

-63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$5.14 JOD 3.64

-48.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.86 JOD 0.61

-36.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$28.50 JOD 20.18

-6.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.59 JOD 0.42

742.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$1.44 JOD 1.02

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-22.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$1.36 JOD 0.96

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$21.2K JOD 15.0K

-2.69%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$24.9K JOD 17.6K

-5.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$35.00 JOD 24.78

142.26%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$11.18 JOD 7.92

109.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$14.31 JOD 10.13

100.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$28.58 JOD 20.24

99.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$35.32 JOD 25.01

-18.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$7.07 JOD 5.00

-27.30%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$143 JOD 101

44.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$8,419 JOD 5,960

-53.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$25.15 JOD 17.81

72.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$49.81 JOD 35.27

-16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$48.64 JOD 34.44

52.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$28.38 JOD 20.10

214.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$142 JOD 101

587.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$155 JOD 110

145.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$244 JOD 173

599.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$286 JOD 202

276.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$561 JOD 397

30.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.94

64.99%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for As Salt: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

As Salt

$155 22.6% 59.3% $226

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

As Salt

$195 28.4% 23.4% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

As Salt

$125 18.2% 38.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

As Salt

$60 8.8% 55.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

As Salt

$68 10% 38.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

As Salt

$43 6.2% 36.6% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

As Salt

$40 5.8% 21.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $142 in As Salt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $21 in As Salt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $195 per month, with As Salt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇯🇴 As Salt

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

107,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen As Salt 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
As Salt

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 As Salt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Salt wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making As Salt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $142 in As Salt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in As Salt – a meal for two runs $21 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $687 in As Salt – As Salt is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $687 in As Salt versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in As Salt but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes As Salt 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 – As Salt wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.