Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto, Brazil and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $764 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Salto

🇧🇷 Brazil

$764

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $764 per month in Salto vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salto $764
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,189 per month in Salto vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salto $1,189
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,615 per month in Salto vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salto $1,615
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Salto is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Salto and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Salto 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.35 R$34.82

$10.67 MX$201

-40.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 R$143

$43.80 MX$824

-40.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.17 R$33.88

$11.79 MX$222

-47.67%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.77

$3.79 MX$71.2

-53.03%

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

$0.99 R$5.45

$1.30 MX$24.41

-23.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.98

$0.83 MX$15.69

-12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R$13.52

$3.15 MX$59.2

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 R$14.77

$4.93 MX$92.9

-45.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.17

$1.41 MX$26.51

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.73

$2.20 MX$41.32

-27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$6.00

$1.47 MX$27.71

-25.85%

Eggs

$2.56 R$14.02

$2.50 MX$46.99

2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 R$44.53

$7.29 MX$137

11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 R$19.31

$7.95 MX$150

-55.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 R$49.97

$12.86 MX$242

-29.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 R$14.46

$2.90 MX$54.5

-9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$9.59

$1.38 MX$26.03

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.99

$2.49 MX$46.88

-34.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R$9.15

$2.03 MX$38.20

-17.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.89

$2.02 MX$38.11

-37.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.21

$1.90 MX$35.82

-31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R$4.78

$1.14 MX$21.54

-23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.61

$1.24 MX$23.32

-61.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$13.32

$4.27 MX$80.4

-43.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 R$46.35

$9.81 MX$185

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 R$8.64

$1.59 MX$29.85

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 R$22.19

$2.75 MX$51.7

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.37

$0.51 MX$9.69

56.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.79

$4.76 MX$89.6

-77.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 R$6.66

$3.25 MX$61.1

-62.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 R$35.99

$5.39 MX$101

21.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.79

$1.53 MX$28.76

-30.72%

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

$21.7K R$119.1K

$21.2K MX$399.2K

2.30%

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

$31.9K R$174.9K

$23.3K MX$437.8K

36.98%

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

$37.16 R$204

$83.5 MX$1,571

-55.49%

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

$9.46 R$51.9

$23.19 MX$436

-59.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.66 R$96.9

$27.61 MX$520

-36.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.27 R$133

$56.4 MX$1,062

-56.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$2.79 R$15.29

$5.00 MX$94.1

-44.20%

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

$239 R$1,311

$207 MX$3,897

15.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,151 R$39.2K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

36.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 R$284

$43.45 MX$818

18.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 R$301

$42.54 MX$801

28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R$492

$72.8 MX$1,369

23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 R$425

$88.4 MX$1,663

-12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 R$1,235

$382 MX$7,197

-41.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 R$3,027

$1,674 MX$31.5K

-67.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R$2,051

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-65.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.45

-2.88%

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

Last update for Salto: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$225 29.5%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 69.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$196 25.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 31.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$123 16.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Salto

$115 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 73.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$64 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 109% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$30 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 123% $37

Getting Around

Salto

$10 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 389% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Salto versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $257 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Salto

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

21:42 9:42 PM

2 h behind Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,319

149,923

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salto Playa del Carmen 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,146 per month in Salto and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $764 in Salto and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Salto about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $239 per month in Salto and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $764 in Salto to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.