Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and San Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in San Vicente: $815 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in San Vicente
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San Vicente Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

San Vicente

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in San Vicente

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $815 in San Vicente, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
San Vicente $815

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,310 in San Vicente, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
San Vicente $1,310

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,806 in San Vicente, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
San Vicente $1,806

Playa del Carmen costs about 47% more than San Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and San Vicente are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, San Vicente 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$6.87 $6.87

55.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$45.20 $45.20

-3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$6.89 $6.89

71.12%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$3.61 $3.61

4.99%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.17 $1.17

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.80 $0.80

3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.06 $2.06

52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.59 $3.59

37.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.89 $1.89

-25.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$2.79 $2.79

-21.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.39 $1.39

5.76%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.07 $3.07

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$7.54 $7.54

-3.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$7.08 $7.08

12.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.42 $10.42

23.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$5.02 $5.02

-42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.43 $1.43

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.55 $2.55

-2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$3.35 $3.35

-39.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.89 $2.89

-30.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$3.38 $3.38

-43.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.95 $0.95

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.00 $1.00

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.98 $3.98

7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$12.03 $12.03

-18.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$2.28 $2.28

-30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.95 $2.95

-6.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$6.04 $6.04

-21.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$2.94 $2.94

10.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$19.70 $19.70

-72.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.25 $1.25

22.40%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

-16.66%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

-15.51%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$132 $132

-36.59%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$21.65 $21.65

7.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$42.85 $42.85

-35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$5.04 $5.04

-0.79%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$165 $165

25.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,759 $4,759

9.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$67.6 $67.6

-35.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$46.84 $46.84

-9.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$118 $118

-38.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$116 $116

-23.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.5

34.71%

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 San Vicente: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

San Vicente

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

San Vicente

$287 35.2% 11.6% $30

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

San Vicente

$144 17.7% 27.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

San Vicente

$196 24.1% 46.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

San Vicente

$157 19.2% 41% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

San Vicente

$10 * 1.2% 84.8% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

San Vicente

$21 * 2.5% 58.9% $30

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 $45 in San Vicente. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $287 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 San Vicente

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

41,504

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen San Vicente 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
San Vicente

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 San Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,223 in San Vicente. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $165 in San Vicente. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in San Vicente, where all-in costs run around $815, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In San Vicente it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $815 in San Vicente to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.