Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,332 in Salto, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Salto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/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 $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,332 in Salto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Salto $1,332

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,921 in Salto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Salto $1,921

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,510 in Salto, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Salto $2,510

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper 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 9% lower, Salto 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$15.98 UYU 643

-31.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$37.19 UYU 1,495

20.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.86 UYU 477

0.51%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.26 UYU 131

16.56%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.21 UYU 89.0

-40.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$1.57 UYU 63.1

-45.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$4.57 UYU 184

-29.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.08 UYU 124

62.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.40 UYU 56.2

4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.12 UYU 85.1

9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.50 UYU 60.3

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$5.34 UYU 215

-53.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$15.05 UYU 605

-48.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$8.73 UYU 351

-9.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$9.86 UYU 397

29.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$1.27 UYU 51.0

129.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.16 UYU 86.7

-34.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.24 UYU 49.93

107.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.86 UYU 74.8

15.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$0.90 UYU 36.05

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.66 UYU 66.8

16.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.89 UYU 35.78

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.53 UYU 61.4

-20.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$5.29 UYU 213

-17.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$7.55 UYU 303

30.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.91 UYU 76.9

-19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.61 UYU 105

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.60 UYU 23.98

-13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$29.75 UYU 1,196

-7.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$3.61 UYU 145

-2.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-21.03%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$200 UYU 8,032

-58.14%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$21.70 UYU 872

10.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$29.62 UYU 1,191

-0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$36.74 UYU 1,478

76.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$12.46 UYU 501

136.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$9.93 UYU 399

-48.74%

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

$208 MX$3,813

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$4,463 UYU 179.4K

-9.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$85.5 UYU 3,437

-47.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$55.9 UYU 2,247

-24.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$114 UYU 4,576

-33.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$67.1 UYU 2,697

36.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$438 UYU 17.6K

125.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$300 UYU 12.1K

28.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$749 UYU 30.1K

128.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$417 UYU 16.8K

165.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$628 UYU 25.3K

20.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Salto

$300 22.7% 22.1% $85

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Salto

$272 20.6% 4.6% $12

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Salto

$247 18.7% 21% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Salto

$251 19% 83.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Salto

$145 11% 27.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Salto

$57 4.3% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Salto

$50 * 3.8% 3.6% $1.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $438 in Salto. 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 21% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $37.00 in Salto. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $272 in Salto – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

104,028

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Salto 6,570 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

Yes – Salto is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,998 in Salto. 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 $1,215 in Playa del Carmen and $1,332 in Salto. That's a gap of about 10%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $37.00 in Salto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Salto at $1,332. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salto 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, Salto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.