Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Salvador

Name: El Salvador
Address: SV

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,466 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in El Salvador outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in El Salvador
Learn more

El Salvador Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,466

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 16.8% more expensive than El Salvador without rent, and 17.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 9.3% more expensive than El Salvador without rent, and 14.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$6.68 $6.68

64.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$44.84 $44.84

0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$7.08 $7.08

68.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.57 $3.57

6.44%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.14 $1.14

14.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.92 $0.92

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.03 $2.03

58.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.49 $3.49

43.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.84 $1.84

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.40 $2.40

-2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.55 $1.55

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.76 $2.76

-10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$7.61 $7.61

1.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$5.95 $5.95

32.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$8.99 $8.99

42.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.81 $3.81

-23.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.74 $1.74

-18.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.96 $2.96

-13.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.93 $2.93

-26.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$2.85 $2.85

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.32 $2.32

-16.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.95 $0.95

28.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.97 $3.97

10.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$11.90 $11.90

-17.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.90 $1.90

-18.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.77 $2.77

-1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.36 $0.36

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$35.46 $35.46

-22.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$6.51 $6.51

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$3.09 $3.09

13.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$20.04 $20.04

-71.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.19 $1.19

29.41%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$25.2K $25.2K

-15.86%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$28.3K $28.3K

-13.47%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$104 $104

-19.73%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$22.38 $22.38

7.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$41.65 $41.65

-29.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$31.73 $31.73

104.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$16.60 $16.60

77.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$4.96 $4.96

2.62%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$167 $167

24.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$4,427 $4,427

-8.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$63.2 $63.2

-29.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$49.16 $49.16

-14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$119 $119

-36.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$103 $103

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$733 $733

34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$655 $655

-41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,261 $1,261

35.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$881 $881

25.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,730 $2,730

47.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,601 $1,601

290.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$440 $440

72.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.48

35.02%

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 El Salvador: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

El Salvador

$655 44.3% 70.1% $270

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

El Salvador

$262 17.7% 0.8% $2.1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

El Salvador

$143 9.7% 29.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

El Salvador

$168 11.4% 22.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

El Salvador

$150 10.2% 31.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

El Salvador

$42 2.8% 44.5% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

El Salvador

$59 4% 13.1% $6.8

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,029,976

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
El Salvador

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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