Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saltillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,313 in Saltillo, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,313 in Saltillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Saltillo $1,313

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,095 in Saltillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Saltillo $2,095

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,877 in Saltillo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Saltillo $2,877

Playa del Carmen is about 8% cheaper than Saltillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Saltillo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Saltillo 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$10.88 MX$201

-1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$49.37 MX$912

-12.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.49 MX$120

81.66%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.50 MX$64.7

10.57%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.32 MX$24.35

3.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.07 MX$19.73

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.15 MX$39.72

44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.76 MX$69.5

34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.51 MX$27.98

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.60 MX$66.6

-38.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.96 MX$36.27

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.34 MX$43.32

8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.76 MX$199

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.34 MX$154

-5.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.76 MX$180

31.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.69 MX$49.79

7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.25 MX$23.10

15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.73 MX$31.97

47.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.96 MX$36.26

5.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.20 MX$40.65

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.48 MX$45.80

-18.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.26 MX$23.22

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.07 MX$19.79

17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.27 MX$79.0

3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.45 MX$193

-8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.30 MX$42.44

-30.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.45 MX$26.72

93.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.81 MX$14.95

-29.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$16.67 MX$308

66.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$2.67 MX$49.42

86.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.99 MX$36.75

75.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$16.64 MX$308

-67.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.44 MX$26.60

2.08%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$18.9K MX$349.5K

10.96%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$24.0K MX$442.9K

-0.25%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$47.87 MX$885

75.91%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$33.45 MX$618

-28.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$29.82 MX$551

-2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$56.0 MX$1,034

12.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$13.65 MX$252

113.48%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.86 MX$108

-15.70%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$249 MX$4,600

-18.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$2,673 MX$49.4K

47.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$56.7 MX$1,048

-23.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$55.7 MX$1,028

-22.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$87.2 MX$1,612

-13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$125 MX$2,310

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$561 MX$10.4K

79.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$506 MX$9,344

-26.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$967 MX$17.9K

76.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$962 MX$17.8K

15.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$545 MX$10.1K

623.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$891 MX$16.5K

592.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$796 MX$14.7K

-5.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.53

8.74%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Saltillo

$506 38.5% 35.2% $132

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Saltillo

$274 20.9% 6% $16

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Saltillo

$176 13.4% 12.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Saltillo

$111 8.5% 19% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Saltillo

$146 11.1% 29.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Saltillo

$68 5.2% 7.1% $5.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Saltillo

$33 2.5% 38.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $561 in Saltillo. 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 6% higher in Saltillo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $49.00 in Saltillo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $274 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

864,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Saltillo 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saltillo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,970 in Saltillo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,313 in Saltillo. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Saltillo at $1,313. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saltillo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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