Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Tecla outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Santa Tecla

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Santa Tecla $1,355

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,006 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Santa Tecla $2,006

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,657 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Santa Tecla $2,657

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Santa Tecla is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$6.56 $6.56

64.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$44.20 $44.20

-2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.82 $6.82

72.87%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.50 $3.50

10.57%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.15 $1.15

19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.86 $0.86

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.98 $1.98

56.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.63 $3.63

39.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.75 $1.75

-17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.14 $2.14

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.43 $1.43

2.80%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.30 $2.30

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$7.52 $7.52

-2.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.55 $5.55

41.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.23 $10.23

25.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.27 $3.27

-11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.37 $1.37

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.64 $2.64

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$3.54 $3.54

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.98 $2.98

-32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.35 $3.35

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.96 $0.96

23.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.98 $0.98

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.94 $3.94

11.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.06 $12.06

-20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.20 $2.20

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.95 $2.95

-4.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$6.16 $6.16

-19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$3.06 $3.06

14.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$20.27 $20.27

-73.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.24 $1.24

18.55%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$25.4K $25.4K

-17.49%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.0K $27.0K

-11.39%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$132 $132

-36.13%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$20.92 $20.92

14.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$42.31 $42.31

-31.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$24.72 $24.72

154.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.03 $5.03

-1.79%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$160 $160

27.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$4,809 $4,809

-18.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$67.0 $67.0

-34.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$46.85 $46.85

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$116 $116

-34.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$115 $115

-23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$765 $765

31.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$548 $548

-31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,200 $1,200

42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$887 $887

24.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$406 $406

85.74%

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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 46.5% $174

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 30.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 42.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 37.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 52.3% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 59.2% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $765 in Santa Tecla. 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 86% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

138,695

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Santa Tecla 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Santa Tecla

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 Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Tecla is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,032 in Santa Tecla. 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 $1,355 in Santa Tecla. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $160 in Santa Tecla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Santa Tecla at $1,355. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Tecla 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, Santa Tecla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.