Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salamina

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,448 in Salamina, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Salamina
Learn more

Salamina Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Salamina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,448 in Salamina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Salamina $1,448

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,215 in Salamina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Salamina $2,215

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,982 in Salamina, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Salamina $2,982

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Salamina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Salamina is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$16.83 €15.01

-36.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$58.1 €51.8

-24.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$9.07 €8.09

29.99%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$4.08 €3.64

-7.11%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$2.83 €2.53

-54.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.55 €0.49

50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$4.56 €4.07

-30.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$5.14 €4.58

-4.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.88 €1.67

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.41 €1.26

56.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$2.61 €2.33

-43.68%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$4.95 €4.41

-49.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$14.81 €13.21

-50.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$10.38 €9.26

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$15.90 €14.18

-19.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.22 €1.98

30.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.97 €1.76

-29.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.52 €1.36

63.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$2.04 €1.82

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.10 €0.99

83.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.16 €1.04

63.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.87 €0.78

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.81 €0.73

53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$5.40 €4.82

-20.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$7.22 €6.44

35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.73 €1.54

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.29 €2.04

20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.34 €1.19

-61.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$50.1 €44.70

-45.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$4.51 €4.02

5.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.98 €0.88

231.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$16.50 €14.71

-67.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.22 €1.98

-31.08%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$28.2K €25.2K

-24.84%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$27.2K €24.2K

-14.41%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$171 €153

-51.25%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$25.31 €22.58

-8.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$29.75 €26.54

-7.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$51.7 €46.08

9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$25.06 €22.35

12.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$9.78 €8.72

-48.88%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$465 €415

-55.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,676 €4,171

11.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$87.5 €78.1

-50.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$40.03 €35.70

6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$81.2 €72.4

-10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$109 €97.4

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$492 €439

101.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$392 €350

-2.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$751 €670

123.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$607 €541

78.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$2,479 €2,211

57.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,954 €1,743

214.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$1,043 €930

-20.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.48

155.58%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Salamina: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Salamina

$392 27.1% 2.6% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Salamina

$293 20.2% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Salamina

$257 17.8% 28.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Salamina

$226 15.6% 68.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Salamina

$143 9.9% 28.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Salamina

$71 4.9% 7.2% $4.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Salamina

$65 4.5% 28.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $492 in Salamina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Salamina. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $58 in Salamina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $293 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Salamina

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

05:09 5:09 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,022

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Salamina 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Salamina

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 Salamina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Salamina is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,172 in Salamina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salamina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,448 in Salamina. That makes Playa del Carmen about 17% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,448 in Salamina. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salamina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.