Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index
59

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

Jump to prices

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sal and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $850 per month in Sal vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sal $850
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,313 per month in Sal vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sal $1,313
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,777 per month in Sal vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sal $1,777
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sal is about 30% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sal and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sal 37% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.51 CVE 540

$10.76 MX$199

-48.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.18 CVE 4,332

$43.03 MX$795

2.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 CVE 1,081

$11.79 MX$218

-6.45%

Cappuccino

$2.32 CVE 227

$3.87 MX$71.4

-40.05%

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

$2.54 CVE 249

$1.37 MX$25.29

85.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 CVE 107

$0.84 MX$15.44

29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 CVE 452

$3.10 MX$57.3

48.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 CVE 301

$5.07 MX$93.6

-39.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 CVE 155

$1.44 MX$26.55

9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 CVE 223

$2.23 MX$41.23

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 CVE 118

$1.47 MX$27.17

-18.37%

Eggs

$2.79 CVE 273

$2.53 MX$46.71

10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 CVE 886

$7.30 MX$135

23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 CVE 736

$7.86 MX$145

-4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 CVE 1,568

$12.79 MX$236

25.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CVE 310

$2.90 MX$53.6

8.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 CVE 245

$1.44 MX$26.53

72.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 CVE 326

$2.55 MX$47.07

30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CVE 391

$2.06 MX$38.03

93.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CVE 161

$2.00 MX$36.97

-18.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 CVE 182

$2.01 MX$37.07

-7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CVE 152

$1.19 MX$22.02

30.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CVE 108

$1.26 MX$23.23

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 CVE 448

$4.40 MX$81.4

3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 CVE 628

$9.59 MX$177

-33.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.03 CVE 395

$1.59 MX$29.41

153.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CVE 184

$2.81 MX$51.9

-33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 CVE 96.6

$0.57 MX$10.47

73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 CVE 204

$4.98 MX$92.1

-58.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 CVE 302

$3.50 MX$64.6

-12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 CVE 1,240

$5.40 MX$99.8

134.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 CVE 135

$1.47 MX$27.08

-6.12%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$60.8 CVE 5,964

$84.2 MX$1,556

-27.78%

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

$23.99 MX$443

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.23 CVE 4,827

$29.02 MX$536

69.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.47 CVE 2,694

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

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

$115 CVE 11.2K

$204 MX$3,763

-43.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.09 CVE 2,950

$43.60 MX$806

-30.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CVE 14.1K

$88.6 MX$1,637

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 CVE 24.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-75.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 CVE 16.5K

$374 MX$6,911

-55.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 CVE 30.1K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-82.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 CVE 20.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-81.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$654 CVE 64.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-83.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$331 CVE 32.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-94.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 CVE 25.2K

$754 MX$13.9K

-65.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.45

-54.15%

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

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$296 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 12.6% $37

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$168 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 123% $206

Eating Out

Sal

$149 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 36% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$110 * 13%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 24.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$78 * 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 44.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$27 * 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 165% $45

Getting Around

Sal

$21 * 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 145% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Sal versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 193% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Sal versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

22:44 10:44 PM

4 h behind Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

149,923

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sal Playa del Carmen 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sal
Playa del Carmen

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

Sal vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,274 per month in Sal and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, 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 $850 in Sal and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $115 per month in Sal and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $850, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sal – 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 Sal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.