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 190.6% more expensive than Salem without rent, and 238.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 143.7% more expensive than Salem without rent, and 276.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$2.34 โ‚น217
396.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$8.36 โ‚น776
411.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.52 โ‚น420
134.51%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.30 โ‚น121
176.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.49 โ‚น45.82
195.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.22 โ‚น20.36
309.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.70 โ‚น158
78.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$5.27 โ‚น490
-13.47%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$0.58 โ‚น53.9
150.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.40 โ‚น36.98
357.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.68 โ‚น63.2
136.76%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$0.82 โ‚น76.2
209.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$9.34 โ‚น868
-8.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$2.72 โ‚น252
211.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$1.99 โ‚น185
37.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$0.71 โ‚น66.4
109.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.52 โ‚น141
27.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.42 โ‚น39.02
414.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$0.41 โ‚น37.79
351.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$0.48 โ‚น44.22
356.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.22 โ‚น20.33
386.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.34 โ‚น31.47
217.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$2.90 โ‚น269
40.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$3.95 โ‚น367
164.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.85 โ‚น172
-10.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.82 โ‚น262
-9.57%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.56 โ‚น516
-
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.22 โ‚น20.35
154.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$8.66 โ‚น805
202.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.17 โ‚น109
168.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$1.19 โ‚น110
172.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.22 โ‚น113
7.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$16.9K โ‚น1.6M
81.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$28.7K โ‚น2.7M
-16.95%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$34.95 โ‚น3,247
137.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$3.38 โ‚น314
555.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$6.82 โ‚น633
330.65%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$16.08 โ‚น1,494
218.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$11.09 โ‚น1,030
68.53%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$2.30 โ‚น214
112.61%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$31.71 โ‚น2,945
526.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$1,317 โ‚น122.3K
295.47%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$22.17 โ‚น2,059
62.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$23.69 โ‚น2,201
66.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$40.87 โ‚น3,797
96.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$27.65 โ‚น2,568
216.67%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$101 โ‚น9,361
855.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$64.9 โ‚น6,029
642.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$268 โ‚น24.9K
513.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$169 โ‚น15.7K
605.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$1,328 โ‚น123.4K
198.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$448 โ‚น41.6K
1355.15%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Salem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$342 โ‚น31.8K
112.33%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Salem: April 11, 2026

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

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