Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,619 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,619 in Ilopango.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ilopango $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,863 in Ilopango.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ilopango $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,107 in Ilopango.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ilopango $2,107

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 26% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Ilopango is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$3.23 $3.23

236.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$826

$44.80 $44.80

-1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$4.97 $4.97

136.62%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.8

$2.96 $2.96

24.32%

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

$1.34 MX$25.06

$0.87 $0.87

54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.41

$0.99 $0.99

-17.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.2

$0.92 $0.92

232.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.2

$1.75 $1.75

182.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.46

$3.20 $3.20

-54.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.39

$1.49 $1.49

48.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.62

$3.06 $3.06

-51.63%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.50

$2.95 $2.95

-15.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$4.96 $4.96

51.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$5.91 $5.91

34.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$10.20 $10.20

23.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.98 $2.98

-6.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.66

$1.95 $1.95

-26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.90

$1.95 $1.95

34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.92

$2.04 $2.04

4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.79

$2.02 $2.02

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.14

$2.04 $2.04

-2.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.24

$0.93 $0.93

22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.42

$1.03 $1.03

16.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.6

$3.91 $3.91

8.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$11.84 $11.84

-15.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.72

$0.98 $0.98

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.71

$2.05 $2.05

29.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.84

$0.88 $0.88

-39.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$514

$35.26 $35.26

-21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.6

$6.86 $6.86

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.2

$2.22 $2.22

54.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$100

$4.66 $4.66

15.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.05

$0.68 $0.68

113.24%

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

$21.2K MX$395.3K

$19.8K $19.8K

6.69%

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

$23.0K MX$430.0K

$25.3K $25.3K

-9.15%

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

$85.4 MX$1,595

$35.69 $35.69

139.17%

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

$23.46 MX$438

$9.91 $9.91

136.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$531

$40.70 $40.70

-30.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,162

$40.29 $40.29

54.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$536

$10.07 $10.07

184.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.4

$5.14 $5.14

-0.78%

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

$201 MX$3,756

$103 $103

94.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.7K

$1,882 $1,882

109.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$829

$20.18 $20.18

119.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$773

$30.10 $30.10

37.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,359

$74.3 $74.3

-2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,674

$59.0 $59.0

51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$672 $672

45.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,963

$1,002 $1,002

-62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.4K

$592 $592

184.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$619 $619

76.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.8K

$1,689 $1,689

133.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.6K

$953 $953

543.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

$1,010 $1,010

-26.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

90.83%

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 Ilopango: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ilopango

$1K 61.9% 169% $629

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ilopango

$249 15.4% 3.4% $8.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ilopango

$92 5.7% 54.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ilopango

$86 5.3% 37.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ilopango

$83 5.1% 26% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 30.1% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 9.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $672 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $45 in Ilopango. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $249, with Ilopango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,890

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 18.68 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 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 Ilopango 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ilopango

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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $103 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 22% less than in Ilopango. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,619 in Ilopango, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen 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 – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Ilopango on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.