Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ayutuxtepeque

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayutuxtepeque: $953 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ayutuxtepeque
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Ayutuxtepeque Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ayutuxtepeque

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $953 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ayutuxtepeque $953

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,391 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ayutuxtepeque $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,829 in Ayutuxtepeque.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ayutuxtepeque $1,829

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 26% more expensive than in Ayutuxtepeque, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ayutuxtepeque 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.70 $6.70

62.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.74 $29.74

48.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.94 $4.94

138.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.62 $3.62

1.66%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.63 $0.63

112.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.48 $0.48

70.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.27 $1.27

140.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.03 $3.03

63.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.44 $1.44

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.47 $1.47

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.98 $0.98

51.02%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.35 $2.35

5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$7.73 $7.73

-2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.45 $5.45

46.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.98 $8.98

39.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.28 $3.28

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.42 $1.42

0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.25 $2.25

16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.43 $3.43

-37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.69 $1.69

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.14 $2.14

-7.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.64 $0.64

78.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.94 $0.94

27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.97 $3.97

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.12 $6.12

63.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.49 $1.49

3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.53 $2.53

5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.34 $0.34

55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$6.11 $6.11

-19.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.92 $2.92

17.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$19.86 $19.86

-72.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.28 $1.28

13.28%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.5K $24.5K

-13.69%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

-14.25%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$93.8 $93.8

-9.04%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$19.81 $19.81

18.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$34.67 $34.67

-18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$14.99 $14.99

314.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.01 $5.01

1.80%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$163 $163

23.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$2,954 $2,954

33.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$24.68 $24.68

79.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$30.10 $30.10

37.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$117 $117

-37.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$73.5 $73.5

21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$152 $152

543.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$300 $300

24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$392 $392

328.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$398 $398

175.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$426 $426

73.08%

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 Ayutuxtepeque: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ayutuxtepeque

$300 31.4% 19.6% $73

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ayutuxtepeque

$219 23% 15.3% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ayutuxtepeque

$129 13.5% 35.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ayutuxtepeque

$148 15.6% 8.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ayutuxtepeque

$110 11.6% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ayutuxtepeque

$25 2.6% 65.4% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ayutuxtepeque

$22 * 2.3% 57.3% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $152 in Ayutuxtepeque. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 73% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $30.00 in Ayutuxtepeque for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $219 per month, with Ayutuxtepeque cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Ayutuxtepeque

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

60,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ayutuxtepeque

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 Ayutuxtepeque: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayutuxtepeque wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ayutuxtepeque the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $152 in Ayutuxtepeque. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $163 in Ayutuxtepeque. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ayutuxtepeque – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $953 in Ayutuxtepeque versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ayutuxtepeque but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ayutuxtepeque the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ayutuxtepeque delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $953 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ayutuxtepeque hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ayutuxtepeque gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.