Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arak and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $480 in Arak versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Arak $480
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Arak versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Arak $755
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,030 in Arak versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Arak $1,030
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Arak costs roughly 60% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arak 65% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 $3.55

$10.92 MX$205

-67.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.88 $12.88

$43.37 MX$815

-70.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 $4.09

$11.78 MX$221

-65.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$1.33 $1.33

$3.81 MX$71.6

-65.09%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$1.28 MX$24.10

-60.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.78 MX$14.71

112.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.41 MX$26.43

-61.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 $0.58

$2.22 MX$41.66

-73.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.42 MX$26.64

38.03%

Eggs

$1.28 $1.28

$2.52 MX$47.41

-49.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$7.26 MX$137

-70.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$7.70 MX$145

-67.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$12.69 MX$239

-18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.78 MX$52.3

-72.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.37 MX$25.71

-31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$2.55 MX$47.94

-75.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.12 MX$39.90

-77.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 $0.42

$1.94 MX$36.43

-78.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 $0.44

$1.89 MX$35.44

-76.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.15 MX$21.55

-58.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$1.18 MX$22.16

-76.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 $2.52

$4.30 MX$80.7

-41.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 $0.10

$0.55 MX$10.40

-81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.70 $9.70

$26.62 MX$500

-63.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.25 $0.25

$4.97 MX$93.4

-94.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 $0.12

$3.33 MX$62.6

-96.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 $1.02

$5.36 MX$101

-80.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.44 MX$27.14

-93.06%

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

$50.3K $50.3K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

143.63%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

48.94%

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

$10.03 $10.03

$84.8 MX$1,594

-88.17%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$23.41 MX$440

-93.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.01 $4.01

$28.66 MX$539

-86.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.93 $9.93

$57.1 MX$1,072

-82.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.64 $24.64

$28.91 MX$543

-14.77%

Cinema Ticket

$1.11 $1.11

$5.14 MX$96.6

-78.40%

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

$83.3 $83.3

$207 MX$3,882

-59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,372 $2,372

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-39.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.59 $13.59

$43.35 MX$815

-68.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$41.44 MX$779

-79.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 $81.9

$74.2 MX$1,394

10.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.1 $52.1

$89.3 MX$1,677

-41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 $294

$980 MX$18.4K

-69.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 $210

$381 MX$7,157

-44.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 $781

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-54.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 $357

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-66.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,369 $1,369

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-65.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$647 $647

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-89.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 $375

$735 MX$13.8K

-48.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

11.45

61.57%

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

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arak

$210 43.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 81.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Arak

$96 20%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 165% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Arak

$70 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 59.1% $42

Eating Out

Arak

$65 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 210% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arak

$15 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 784% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Arak

$12 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 455% $55

Getting Around

Arak

$11 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 360% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Arak and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 96% 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: $13 in Arak vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $255 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Arak

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

8 h 30 min behind Arak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,200

149,923

💱 Currency

USD USD

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arak Playa del Carmen 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Arak
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Arak is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Arak. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $294 in Arak versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $480 per month in Arak versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Arak is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 64% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Arak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.