Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Sal is 25.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 20.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Sal is 7.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.88 CVE 550
$11.61 MX$200
-49.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.11 CVE 4,407
$42.75 MX$738
10.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.29 CVE 682
$10.60 MX$183
-31.23%
Cappuccino
$2.30 CVE 215
$3.59 MX$62.0
-35.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 CVE 236
$1.45 MX$25.08
73.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 CVE 106
$0.90 MX$15.50
25.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.81 CVE 357
$3.03 MX$52.4
25.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 CVE 298
$4.56 MX$78.8
-30.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 CVE 139
$1.45 MX$25.07
2.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 CVE 206
$1.83 MX$31.55
20.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 CVE 146
$1.61 MX$27.77
-3.11%
Eggs
$2.78 CVE 260
$2.54 MX$43.82
9.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.30 CVE 1,057
$8.54 MX$148
32.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.26 CVE 773
$8.47 MX$146
-2.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.61 CVE 1,554
$10.86 MX$188
52.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 CVE 269
$2.73 MX$47.13
5.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.50 CVE 234
$1.49 MX$25.77
67.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 CVE 275
$1.94 MX$33.55
51.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 CVE 383
$2.16 MX$37.38
89.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 CVE 146
$1.85 MX$31.88
-15.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 CVE 179
$2.19 MX$37.80
-12.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.84 CVE 173
$1.07 MX$18.52
71.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 CVE 108
$1.08 MX$18.71
6.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.63 CVE 433
$4.06 MX$70.1
14.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.82 CVE 638
$10.46 MX$181
-34.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.03 CVE 284
$1.65 MX$28.56
83.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 CVE 184
$2.55 MX$44.01
-22.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.08 CVE 101
$0.56 MX$9.60
92.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.15 CVE 201
$3.14 MX$54.2
-31.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.90 CVE 272
$2.37 MX$40.96
22.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.33 CVE 1,247
$3.24 MX$56.0
311.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 CVE 137
$1.31 MX$22.70
12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.6 CVE 8,473
$83.1 MX$1,436
8.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$22.15 MX$383
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.2 CVE 5,066
$29.37 MX$507
84.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.24 CVE 3,203
$51.2 MX$884
-33.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.89 MX$84.4
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$150 CVE 14.0K
$199 MX$3,431
-24.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,518 CVE 235.5K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-51.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.44 CVE 2,941
$35.93 MX$621
-12.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.39 MX$680
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$80.3 MX$1,387
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$149 CVE 13.9K
$87.6 MX$1,512
69.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$335 CVE 31.3K
$963 MX$16.6K
-65.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 CVE 27.3K
$482 MX$8,326
-39.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$441 CVE 41.3K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-73.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 CVE 37.1K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-66.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$701 CVE 65.6K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-82.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$348 CVE 32.6K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-94.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sal
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$264 CVE 24.7K
$726 MX$12.5K
-63.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.17
11.42
-45.97%

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

Last update for Sal: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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