Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salem Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salem

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 160.9% more expensive than Salem without rent, and 236.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 178.3% more expensive than Salem without rent, and 267.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.73 MX$222
$2.31 โ‚น198
407.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$785
$8.08 โ‚น691
413.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.57 MX$200
$4.57 โ‚น391
131.29%
Cappuccino
$3.49 MX$65.9
$1.29 โ‚น110
170.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$27.33
$0.46 โ‚น39.73
215.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$18.33
$0.24 โ‚น20.61
304.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$57.2
$1.78 โ‚น152
70.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 MX$86.8
$5.13 โ‚น439
-10.53%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.87
$0.62 โ‚น53.2
129.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$35.43
$0.39 โ‚น33.43
379.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$29.2
$0.7 โ‚น59.6
120.00%
Eggs
$2.6 MX$49.21
$0.82 โ‚น70.2
217.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 MX$157
$9.01 โ‚น770
-7.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$2.76 โ‚น236
209.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MX$202
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.2
$1.99 โ‚น170
33.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.5
$0.77 โ‚น65.8
96.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.87
$1.51 โ‚น129
25.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.45
$0.43 โ‚น36.43
409.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.7
$0.37 โ‚น32.02
381.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 MX$41.05
$0.48 โ‚น41.14
352.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.14
$0.22 โ‚น18.8
386.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.53
$0.36 โ‚น30.91
202.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$78.8
$2.9 โ‚น248
43.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 MX$165
$4.05 โ‚น347
116.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$31.91
$1.8 โ‚น154
-6.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 MX$47.74
$2.7 โ‚น231
-6.30%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.47 โ‚น468
-
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.59
$0.22 โ‚น18.78
131.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.97 MX$510
$10.45 โ‚น893
158.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 MX$61.4
$1.13 โ‚น96.5
187.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$47.01
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$60.8
$1.13 โ‚น96.2
184.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.87
$1.16 โ‚น98.8
8.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MX$564.1K
$17K โ‚น1.5M
75.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$442.5K
$29.1K โ‚น2.5M
-19.53%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$34.97 โ‚น2,991
140.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.8 MX$431
$3.29 โ‚น281
593.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$568
$7.17 โ‚น613
318.97%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$972
$19.43 โ‚น1,662
164.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 MX$346
$11.06 โ‚น946
65.28%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 MX$94.1
$2.29 โ‚น196
117.03%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$197 MX$3,719
$31.72 โ‚น2,713
520.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,254 MX$99.3K
$1,275 โ‚น109K
312.08%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.81 MX$677
$21.65 โ‚น1,852
65.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.43 MX$745
$24.19 โ‚น2,069
63.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 MX$1,529
$39.9 โ‚น3,412
102.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 MX$1,631
$27.35 โ‚น2,339
215.54%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$968 MX$18.3K
$99.4 โ‚น8,505
873.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MX$9,037
$63.3 โ‚น5,416
654.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 MX$30.8K
$267 โ‚น22.9K
510.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$22.6K
$167 โ‚น14.3K
615.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,137 MX$59.3K
$1,415 โ‚น121K
121.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,586 MX$143.4K
$372 โ‚น31.8K
1941.76%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 MX$15.2K
$360 โ‚น30.8K
123.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
9.47
20.59%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

Last update for Salem: November 4, 2025

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