Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saltillo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,313 in Saltillo, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index
59

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

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Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,313

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,313 per month in Saltillo vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saltillo $1,313
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,095 per month in Saltillo vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saltillo $2,095
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,877 per month in Saltillo vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Saltillo $2,877
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Saltillo costs about 9% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Saltillo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Saltillo 3% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$201

$10.76 MX$199

1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 MX$912

$43.03 MX$795

14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 MX$120

$11.79 MX$218

-44.95%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$64.7

$3.87 MX$71.4

-9.56%

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

$1.32 MX$24.35

$1.37 MX$25.29

-3.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.73

$0.84 MX$15.44

27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$39.72

$3.10 MX$57.3

-30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 MX$69.5

$5.07 MX$93.6

-25.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.98

$1.44 MX$26.55

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 MX$66.6

$2.23 MX$41.23

61.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$1.47 MX$27.17

33.33%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.32

$2.53 MX$46.71

-7.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 MX$199

$7.30 MX$135

47.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$154

$7.86 MX$145

6.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 MX$180

$12.79 MX$236

-23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 MX$49.79

$2.90 MX$53.6

-7.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MX$23.10

$1.44 MX$26.53

-13.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.97

$2.55 MX$47.07

-32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.06 MX$38.03

-4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.65

$2.00 MX$36.97

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 MX$45.80

$2.01 MX$37.07

23.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.22

$1.19 MX$22.02

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.79

$1.26 MX$23.23

-15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$4.40 MX$81.4

-2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MX$193

$9.59 MX$177

8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 MX$42.44

$1.59 MX$29.41

44.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$26.72

$2.81 MX$51.9

-48.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MX$14.95

$0.57 MX$10.47

42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 MX$308

$27.82 MX$514

-40.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 MX$49.42

$4.98 MX$92.1

-46.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$3.50 MX$64.6

-43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 MX$308

$5.40 MX$99.8

208.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.60

$1.47 MX$27.08

-2.04%

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

$18.9K MX$349.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-9.88%

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

$24.0K MX$442.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

0.25%

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

$47.87 MX$885

$84.2 MX$1,556

-43.15%

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

$33.45 MX$618

$23.99 MX$443

39.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 MX$551

$29.02 MX$536

2.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 MX$1,034

$63.0 MX$1,164

-11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 MX$252

$29.14 MX$539

-53.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 MX$108

$4.94 MX$91.3

18.62%

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

$249 MX$4,600

$204 MX$3,763

22.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,673 MX$49.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-32.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MX$1,048

$43.60 MX$806

30.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 MX$1,028

$43.12 MX$797

29.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 MX$1,612

$75.8 MX$1,400

15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 MX$2,310

$88.6 MX$1,637

41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 MX$10.4K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-44.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 MX$9,344

$374 MX$6,911

35.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$17.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-43.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 MX$17.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-13.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$545 MX$10.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-86.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$891 MX$16.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-85.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$796 MX$14.7K

$754 MX$13.9K

5.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.45

-8.03%

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

Last update for Saltillo: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Saltillo

$506 38.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 26% $132

Groceries & Markets

Saltillo

$274 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 5.7% $16

Eating Out

Saltillo

$176 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 14.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Saltillo

$146 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saltillo

$111 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 23.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Saltillo

$68 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 7.7% $5.2

Getting Around

Saltillo

$33 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 61.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $561 in Saltillo 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 6% higher in Saltillo, 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 $49.00 in Saltillo versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

1 h ahead of Saltillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

864,431

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saltillo Playa del Carmen 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saltillo
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

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

Yes – Saltillo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,970 per month in Saltillo 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 $1,313 in Saltillo and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 67% 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 Saltillo at $1,313. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saltillo 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, Saltillo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.