Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salto, Brazil

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $764 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Salto, Brazil
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Salto
🇧🇷 Brazil
$764
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $764 in Salto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Salto $764

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,189 in Salto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Salto $1,189

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,615 in Salto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Salto $1,615

Playa del Carmen costs about 57% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Salto are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Salto 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$6.35 R$34.65
68.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$26.03 R$142
68.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$6.17 R$33.71
91.09%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$1.78 R$9.73
112.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.99 R$5.43
31.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.73 R$3.96
13.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.46 R$13.46
28.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.69 R$14.69
83.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$0.94 R$5.14
50.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.59 R$8.68
38.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.09 R$5.97
34.86%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.56 R$13.95
-2.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$8.11 R$44.30
-10.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$3.52 R$19.21
125.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$9.11 R$49.72
41.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.63 R$14.39
10.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.75 R$9.55
-21.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$1.64 R$8.94
51.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$1.67 R$9.11
21.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.26 R$6.86
60.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.31 R$7.17
45.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$0.87 R$4.76
31.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.48 R$2.60
158.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$2.43 R$13.25
75.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$8.45 R$46.12
16.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.57 R$8.60
1.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$4.04 R$22.08
-31.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.80 R$4.35
-36.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.06 R$5.76
349.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.21 R$6.63
168.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$6.56 R$35.81
-17.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.06 R$5.77
44.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$21.7K R$118.5K
-2.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$31.9K R$174.0K
-26.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$37.16 R$203
124.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$9.46 R$51.7
145.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$17.66 R$96.4
56.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$24.27 R$133
132.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$2.79 R$15.21
79.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$239 R$1,304
-13.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$7,151 R$39.1K
-26.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$51.7 R$282
-15.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$54.8 R$299
-22.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$89.7 R$490
-18.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$77.5 R$423
14.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$225 R$1,229
69.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$551 R$3,011
203.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$374 R$2,041
189.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Salto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11.12
2.97%

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 Salto: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Salto
$225 41.2% $157
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Salto
$196 23.8% $61
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Salto
$115 42.5% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Salto
$64 52.1% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Salto
$123 10.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Salto
$30 55.1% $37
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Salto
$10 * 79.6% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $26 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $196 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇧🇷 Salto
🕒 Local time
09:57 9:57 AM
11:57 11:57 AM
2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
134,319
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Salto 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Salto cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,146 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Salto?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $764 in Salto. That makes Salto about 36% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $239 in Salto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Salto?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Salto?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $764 in Salto to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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