Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Melito di Porto Salvo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,631 in Melito di Porto Salvo, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Melito di Porto Salvo
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Melito di Porto Salvo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Melito di Porto Salvo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Melito di Porto Salvo

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 Melito di Porto Salvo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,631 in Melito di Porto Salvo.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Melito di Porto Salvo $1,631

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,420 in Melito di Porto Salvo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Melito di Porto Salvo $2,420

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,209 in Melito di Porto Salvo.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Melito di Porto Salvo $3,209

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 26% less than in Melito di Porto Salvo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Melito di Porto Salvo is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$16.56 €14.85

-34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$807

$56.7 €50.9

-23.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$11.05 €9.91

6.61%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.9

$2.32 €2.08

64.22%

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

$1.28 MX$23.87

$2.39 €2.15

-46.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.57

$1.18 €1.06

-33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.69 €5.10

-44.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.97 €3.56

24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.18

$1.30 €1.17

8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.27

$1.86 €1.67

19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.38

$2.85 €2.56

-50.18%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.96

$2.97 €2.66

-15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.62 €13.12

-50.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$11.65 €10.45

-33.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$16.93 €15.19

-25.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$2.99 €2.68

-7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$2.16 €1.93

-36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.49

$2.92 €2.62

-12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.52

$2.95 €2.65

-28.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.08

$1.72 €1.54

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.11

$1.52 €1.36

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$1.80 €1.62

-36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.95

$0.43 €0.38

174.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$6.78 €6.08

-36.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.48 €6.71

33.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$2.15 €1.93

-26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.72

$3.00 €2.69

-11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.30

$1.53 €1.37

-64.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$495

$38.72 €34.73

-31.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.5

$3.31 €2.97

50.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$1.14 €1.02

192.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.7

$37.86 €33.96

-85.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.88

$1.99 €1.79

-27.64%

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

$20.7K MX$384.7K

$34.7K €31.1K

-40.42%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$37.7K €33.8K

-37.73%

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

$84.8 MX$1,578

$224 €201

-62.15%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.22 €9.16

129.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$533

$26.92 €24.15

6.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,062

$57.3 €51.4

-0.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$538

$27.04 €24.26

6.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$9.43 €8.46

-45.49%

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

$207 MX$3,845

$438 €393

-52.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.1K

$5,565 €4,992

-29.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$807

$70.0 €62.8

-38.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$771

$30.49 €27.35

35.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,381

$85.1 €76.3

-12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,661

$123 €110

-27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$720 €646

35.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,089

$542 €486

-29.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,075 €965

58.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$827 €742

29.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.4K

$3,054 €2,740

29.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.6K

$1,954 €1,753

215.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,170 €1,947

-66.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.39

237.76%

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 Melito di Porto Salvo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$542 33.3% 42.4% $161

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$314 19.3% 23.4% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$244 15% 20.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$261 16% 90.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$139 8.5% 24.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$76 4.7% 13.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Melito di Porto Salvo

$54 3.3% 6.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $720 in Melito di Porto Salvo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melito di Porto Salvo pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $57 in Melito di Porto Salvo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $314 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇹 Melito di Porto Salvo

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,355

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Melito di Porto Salvo 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Melito di Porto Salvo

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 Melito di Porto Salvo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Melito di Porto Salvo differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $1,631 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $720 in Melito di Porto Salvo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 31% less than in Melito di Porto Salvo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $438 in Melito di Porto Salvo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,631 in Melito di Porto Salvo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Melito di Porto Salvo. 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, Melito di Porto Salvo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.