Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza, El Salvador and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
58

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

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Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $635
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,036 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,036
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,437 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,437
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zaragoza is about 47% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zaragoza and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zaragoza 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 $6.95

$10.92 MX$204

-36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$43.37 MX$810

-31.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$11.78 MX$220

-40.92%

Cappuccino

$1.54 $1.54

$3.81 MX$71.2

-59.58%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$1.28 MX$23.96

-13.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.78 MX$14.63

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.17 MX$59.2

-60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$4.93 MX$92.2

-57.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.41 MX$26.28

26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.22 MX$41.43

2.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.42 MX$26.48

-31.69%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$2.52 MX$47.14

-0.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$7.26 MX$136

3.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$7.70 MX$144

-49.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$12.69 MX$237

-57.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.78 MX$52.0

43.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.37 MX$25.56

3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.55 MX$47.66

1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.12 MX$39.67

0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.94 MX$36.22

52.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.89 MX$35.24

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.15 MX$21.42

-16.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.18 MX$22.03

-33.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 $3.77

$4.30 MX$80.3

-12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$9.95 MX$186

-17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.58 MX$29.59

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.67 MX$49.91

-17.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.55 MX$10.34

169.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.97 MX$92.9

-1.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.33 MX$62.2

-12.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$5.36 MX$100

275.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.44 MX$26.98

-22.22%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

19.87%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

4.97%

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

$46.09 $46.09

$84.8 MX$1,584

-45.64%

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

$21.21 $21.21

$23.41 MX$437

-9.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 $35.34

$28.66 MX$535

23.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$57.1 MX$1,066

-38.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$5.14 MX$96.0

-2.14%

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

$150 $150

$207 MX$3,860

-27.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$3,927 MX$73.4K

21.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 $67.3

$43.35 MX$810

55.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$41.44 MX$774

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$74.2 MX$1,386

50.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 $69.5

$89.3 MX$1,668

-22.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.45

-25.76%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$217 34.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$133 20.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 15.9% $21

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$113 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 79.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$103 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 33.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$45 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 49.6% $22

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$25 * 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 98.1% $25

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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 $30 in Zaragoza versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $255 – making Zaragoza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

1 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,749

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaragoza Playa del Carmen 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Zaragoza and $1,806 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 $635 in Zaragoza and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Zaragoza 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Zaragoza, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zaragoza 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 $635 in Zaragoza to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.