Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sonsonate

For one person, living is cheaper in Sonsonate: $1,151 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sonsonate
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Sonsonate Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sonsonate

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,151 in Sonsonate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sonsonate $1,151

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,724 in Sonsonate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sonsonate $1,724

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,296 in Sonsonate, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sonsonate $2,296

Playa del Carmen costs about 5% more than Sonsonate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sonsonate are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sonsonate 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.66 $6.66

63.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$45.42 $45.42

-4.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.05 $7.05

67.09%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.45 $3.45

10.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.12 $1.12

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.81 $0.81

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.05 $2.05

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.64 $3.64

35.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.87 $1.87

-24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.80 $2.80

-20.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.40 $1.40

1.43%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.96 $2.96

-14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.66 $7.66

-5.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.06 $7.06

9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.22 $10.22

24.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$4.96 $4.96

-43.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.38 $1.38

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.60 $2.60

-1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.47 $3.47

-38.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.97 $2.97

-34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$3.26 $3.26

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.98 $0.98

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.08 $4.08

5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.82 $11.82

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.18 $2.18

-27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.98 $2.98

-10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$6.03 $6.03

-17.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.94 $2.94

13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$20.17 $20.17

-73.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.23 $1.23

17.07%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$24.6K $24.6K

-15.87%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-13.65%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$130 $130

-34.87%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$20.96 $20.96

11.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$42.83 $42.83

-33.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.86 $4.86

5.76%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$165 $165

25.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,788 $4,788

-17.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$66.1 $66.1

-34.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$46.24 $46.24

-10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$116 $116

-36.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$117 $117

-24.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$546 $546

79.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$344 $344

10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$736 $736

131.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$506 $506

112.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sonsonate: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sonsonate

$344 29.9% 9.6% $37

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sonsonate

$285 24.8% 12.1% $31

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sonsonate

$141 12.3% 30.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sonsonate

$194 16.9% 41.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sonsonate

$156 13.5% 39.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sonsonate

$9.7 * 0.8% 85.6% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sonsonate

$21 * 1.8% 58.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $546 in Sonsonate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $45 in Sonsonate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $285 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇻 Sonsonate

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

59,468

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sonsonate 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sonsonate

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 Sonsonate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,726 in Sonsonate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sonsonate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $546 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,151 in Sonsonate. That makes Sonsonate about 4% cheaper.

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

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,151 in Sonsonate, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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