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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,023 in Aarschot versus $1,293 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,948 in Aarschot versus $2,334 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,873 in Aarschot versus $3,374 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Aarschot is roughly 56% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aarschot is 47% above, Playa del Carmen is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.22

$11.71 MX$198

60.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 €70.5

$46.59 MX$787

75.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 €9.94

$11.65 MX$197

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$3.74 €3.22

$4.09 MX$69.2

-8.56%

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

$3.28 €2.82

$1.37 MX$23.23

139.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.32

$0.83 MX$14.09

225.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.49 €4.72

$3.35 MX$56.7

63.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 €4.11

$6.91 MX$117

-30.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.07

$1.73 MX$29.19

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 €2.54

$2.26 MX$38.20

30.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 €2.01

$1.77 MX$29.90

32.20%

Eggs

$3.82 €3.29

$2.73 MX$46.18

39.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.27

$9.18 MX$155

29.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.09 €10.41

$8.92 MX$151

35.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.84 €13.63

$12.60 MX$213

25.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.43

$3.02 MX$51.1

-6.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €1.97

$1.57 MX$26.54

45.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €1.96

$2.13 MX$35.92

7.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.05

$2.26 MX$38.27

5.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.05

$2.00 MX$33.87

19.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.57

$2.06 MX$34.89

-11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.18 MX$19.94

27.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.80

$1.20 MX$20.35

-21.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 €8.92

$4.63 MX$78.3

123.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.12

$10.69 MX$181

-33.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.86

$1.62 MX$27.37

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.61

$2.88 MX$48.69

-35.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 €2.80

$0.57 MX$9.69

470.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.7 €49.67

$29.83 MX$504

93.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.38

$5.45 MX$92.1

-6.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 €2.21

$3.70 MX$62.6

-30.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.46 €15.02

$5.98 MX$101

191.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.64

$1.55 MX$26.25

23.23%

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

$36.1K €31.1K

$22.3K MX$377.3K

61.77%

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

$35.1K €30.2K

$25.9K MX$438.5K

35.27%

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

$216 €186

$89.1 MX$1,506

142.11%

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

$18.67 €16.06

$25.04 MX$423

-25.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 €48.23

$31.50 MX$532

77.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 €32.02

$67.8 MX$1,145

-45.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.61 €19.45

$28.92 MX$489

-21.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 €13.00

$5.05 MX$85.3

199.01%

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

$726 €625

$225 MX$3,802

222.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €14.7K

$4,222 MX$71.4K

305.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 €73.2

$47.44 MX$802

79.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.01 €23.24

$44.98 MX$760

-39.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 €79.7

$82.0 MX$1,386

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 €132

$92.1 MX$1,556

66.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 €851

$1,069 MX$18.1K

-7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 €729

$405 MX$6,850

109.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,255

$1,935 MX$32.7K

-24.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,042

$1,301 MX$22.0K

-6.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,317 €3,715

$3,995 MX$67.5K

8.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,719 €2,340

$6,626 MX$112.0K

-58.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,235 €2,784

$749 MX$12.7K

332.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

11.45

-69.26%

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

Last update for Aarschot: August 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $989 in Aarschot and $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 332% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Aarschot vs $47.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $277 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 332% higher in Aarschot, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $989 in Aarschot versus $1,069 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $82.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,293 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,023 in Aarschot, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aarschot, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.