Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salt Lake City, UT and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,701 in Salt Lake City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Salt Lake City, UT
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Salt Lake City, UT Living Index
59

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

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Salt Lake City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salt Lake City, UT 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 Salt Lake City, UT and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,701 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $2,701
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,887 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $3,887
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,074 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $5,074
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Salt Lake City, UT costs about 123% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salt Lake City, UT sits 100% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.33 $18.33

$10.76 MX$199

70.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 $72.4

$43.03 MX$795

68.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.79 MX$218

-14.59%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.87 MX$71.4

29.46%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.37 MX$25.29

64.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.84 MX$15.44

104.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.10 MX$57.3

90.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$5.07 MX$93.6

55.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.44 MX$26.55

-38.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.23 MX$41.23

69.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.47 MX$27.17

185.71%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$2.53 MX$46.71

65.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.98 $11.98

$7.30 MX$135

64.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$7.86 MX$145

53.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 $17.00

$12.79 MX$236

32.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.90 MX$53.6

38.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.44 MX$26.53

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.55 MX$47.07

45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.06 MX$38.03

87.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.00 MX$36.97

10.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.01 MX$37.07

22.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.19 MX$22.02

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.26 MX$23.23

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.40 MX$81.4

127.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$9.59 MX$177

53.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.59 MX$29.41

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.81 MX$51.9

16.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.57 MX$10.47

345.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.5 $86.5

$27.82 MX$514

210.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$4.98 MX$92.1

-50.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.50 MX$64.6

-32.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 $24.86

$5.40 MX$99.8

360.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

73.35%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

7.32%

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

$192 $192

$84.2 MX$1,556

127.70%

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

$49.40 $49.40

$23.99 MX$443

105.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$29.02 MX$536

171.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.13 $35.13

$63.0 MX$1,164

-44.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.90 $26.90

$29.14 MX$539

-7.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$4.94 MX$91.3

204.05%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$204 MX$3,763

529.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

425.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 $72.4

$43.60 MX$806

65.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.19 $46.19

$43.12 MX$797

7.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$75.8 MX$1,400

44.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$88.6 MX$1,637

23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 $1,668

$1,008 MX$18.6K

65.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 $1,373

$374 MX$6,911

267.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,887 $2,887

$1,708 MX$31.6K

68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 $2,149

$1,106 MX$20.4K

94.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,211 $4,211

$3,944 MX$72.9K

6.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,939 $2,939

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-52.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,197 $4,197

$754 MX$13.9K

456.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.45

-43.58%

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

Last update for Salt Lake City, UT: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salt Lake City, UT

$1.4K 50.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 72.8% $999

Groceries & Markets

Salt Lake City, UT

$381 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 32.2% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salt Lake City, UT

$320 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 57.1% $183

Eating Out

Salt Lake City, UT

$298 11%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 32.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Salt Lake City, UT

$152 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 25.6% $39

Getting Around

Salt Lake City, UT

$111 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 52.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Salt Lake City, UT

$65 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 11.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,668 in Salt Lake City, UT 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 456% higher in Salt Lake City, UT, 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 $72.0 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, UT

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h ahead of Salt Lake City, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,133

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Salt Lake City, UT Playa del Carmen 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salt Lake City, UT
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

Salt Lake City, UT vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Salt Lake City, UT is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,051 per month in Salt Lake City, UT 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 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 $2,701 in Salt Lake City, UT and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 123%.

Public transport costs about 211% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Salt Lake City, UT at $2,701. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salt Lake City, UT 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, Salt Lake City, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.