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

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 35.3% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 16.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 5.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 ₡5,151

$11.85 MX$210

-8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡28.7K

$42.16 MX$746

44.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 ₡4,684

$10.75 MX$190

-7.81%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,863

$3.47 MX$61.5

13.54%

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

$2.08 ₡982

$1.45 MX$25.72

43.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₡749

$0.90 MX$15.98

75.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,391

$3.05 MX$54.1

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 ₡2,241

$4.42 MX$78.2

7.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡965

$1.37 MX$24.24

48.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,330

$1.87 MX$33.14

50.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,056

$1.54 MX$27.32

44.81%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,381

$2.50 MX$44.31

16.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 ₡4,617

$8.61 MX$152

13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 ₡4,366

$8.63 MX$153

6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,450

$11.02 MX$195

23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,145

$2.75 MX$48.67

65.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡718

$1.43 MX$25.28

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 ₡1,965

$1.87 MX$33.15

122.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,686

$2.17 MX$38.37

64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,606

$1.88 MX$33.33

80.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,532

$2.25 MX$39.76

44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡461

$1.07 MX$18.90

-9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,372

$1.07 MX$19.00

171.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 ₡2,477

$4.15 MX$73.5

26.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,519

$10.34 MX$183

94.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₡1,160

$1.68 MX$29.72

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,324

$2.48 MX$43.97

12.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡446

$0.55 MX$9.82

70.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$470

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡856

$3.22 MX$56.9

-43.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡872

$2.48 MX$43.93

-25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 ₡3,815

$3.11 MX$55.0

159.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡685

$1.26 MX$22.22

15.08%

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

$37.2K ₡17.6M

$30.7K MX$542.7K

21.39%

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

$32.0K ₡15.1M

$24.0K MX$425.5K

33.27%

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

$95.6 ₡45.2K

$82.5 MX$1,460

15.85%

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

$25.85 ₡12.2K

$22.29 MX$394

15.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡27.9K

$30.02 MX$531

96.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ₡27.1K

$51.4 MX$911

11.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 ₡11.5K

$18.29 MX$324

32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ₡4,822

$4.98 MX$88.2

104.82%

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

$571 ₡270.0K

$200 MX$3,540

185.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ₡5.9M

$5,304 MX$93.9K

136.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 ₡29.1K

$35.71 MX$632

72.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 ₡24.7K

$39.56 MX$700

32.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡58.5K

$80.6 MX$1,426

53.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡50.9K

$88.3 MX$1,563

21.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₡365.2K

$969 MX$17.2K

-20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 ₡283.9K

$482 MX$8,535

24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 ₡707.6K

$1,595 MX$28.2K

-6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 ₡447.3K

$1,184 MX$21.0K

-20.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$115.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.42

-10.95%

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

Last update for Arenal: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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