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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Salem is 65.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 70.5% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Salem is 59% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 73.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.34 โ‚น217
$11.61 MX$200
-79.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.36 โ‚น776
$42.75 MX$738
-80.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.52 โ‚น420
$10.60 MX$183
-57.36%
Cappuccino
$1.30 โ‚น121
$3.59 MX$62.0
-63.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 โ‚น45.82
$1.45 MX$25.08
-66.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 โ‚น20.36
$0.90 MX$15.50
-75.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 โ‚น158
$3.03 MX$52.4
-43.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 โ‚น490
$4.56 MX$78.8
15.57%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.58 โ‚น53.9
$1.45 MX$25.07
-60.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.40 โ‚น36.98
$1.83 MX$31.55
-78.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 โ‚น63.2
$1.61 MX$27.77
-57.76%
Eggs
$0.82 โ‚น76.2
$2.54 MX$43.82
-67.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.34 โ‚น868
$8.54 MX$148
9.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.72 โ‚น252
$8.47 MX$146
-67.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.86 MX$188
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 โ‚น185
$2.73 MX$47.13
-27.11%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 โ‚น66.4
$1.49 MX$25.77
-52.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 โ‚น141
$1.94 MX$33.55
-21.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.42 โ‚น39.02
$2.16 MX$37.38
-80.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.41 โ‚น37.79
$1.85 MX$31.88
-77.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 โ‚น44.22
$2.19 MX$37.80
-78.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 โ‚น20.33
$1.07 MX$18.52
-79.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.34 โ‚น31.47
$1.08 MX$18.71
-68.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.90 โ‚น269
$4.06 MX$70.1
-28.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.95 โ‚น367
$10.46 MX$181
-62.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 โ‚น172
$1.65 MX$28.56
12.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 โ‚น262
$2.55 MX$44.01
10.59%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.56 โ‚น516
-
-
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 โ‚น20.35
$0.56 MX$9.60
-60.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.66 โ‚น805
$26.20 MX$453
-66.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 โ‚น109
$3.14 MX$54.2
-62.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 โ‚น110
$3.24 MX$56.0
-63.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 โ‚น113
$1.31 MX$22.70
-6.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K โ‚น1.6M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-44.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.7K โ‚น2.7M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
20.42%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.95 โ‚น3,247
$83.1 MX$1,436
-57.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.38 โ‚น314
$22.15 MX$383
-84.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.82 โ‚น633
$29.37 MX$507
-76.78%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.08 โ‚น1,494
$51.2 MX$884
-68.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.09 โ‚น1,030
$18.69 MX$323
-40.66%
Cinema Ticket
$2.30 โ‚น214
$4.89 MX$84.4
-52.97%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$31.71 โ‚น2,945
$199 MX$3,431
-84.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,317 โ‚น122.3K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-74.71%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.17 โ‚น2,059
$35.93 MX$621
-38.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.69 โ‚น2,201
$39.39 MX$680
-39.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$40.87 โ‚น3,797
$80.3 MX$1,387
-49.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.65 โ‚น2,568
$87.6 MX$1,512
-68.42%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$101 โ‚น9,361
$963 MX$16.6K
-89.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$64.9 โ‚น6,029
$482 MX$8,326
-86.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$268 โ‚น24.9K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-83.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 โ‚น15.7K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-85.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,328 โ‚น123.4K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-66.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$448 โ‚น41.6K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-93.13%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Salem
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$342 โ‚น31.8K
$726 MX$12.5K
-52.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.47
11.42
-17.08%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Salem: April 11, 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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