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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 25.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 52.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.28 PEN 14.38
$11.88 MX$210
-63.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.28 PEN 95.0
$41.90 MX$740
-32.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.47 PEN 18.40
$10.55 MX$186
-48.15%
Cappuccino
$2.60 PEN 8.74
$3.60 MX$63.5
-27.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.56
$1.50 MX$26.45
-49.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 PEN 1.22
$0.91 MX$16.09
-60.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 PEN 7.63
$3.08 MX$54.4
-26.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.83 PEN 19.60
$4.47 MX$78.8
30.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 PEN 5.38
$1.39 MX$24.54
15.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 PEN 4.10
$1.90 MX$33.47
-35.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.21 PEN 4.08
$1.60 MX$28.27
-24.38%
Eggs
$2.08 PEN 7.01
$2.60 MX$45.97
-20.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.53 PEN 18.59
$8.36 MX$148
-33.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.26 PEN 17.69
$8.64 MX$152
-39.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.77 PEN 26.10
$10.91 MX$192
-28.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 PEN 5.09
$2.61 MX$45.98
-41.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 PEN 4.14
$1.44 MX$25.46
-14.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 PEN 4.15
$1.96 MX$34.55
-36.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.81 PEN 2.71
$2.12 MX$37.34
-61.79%
Potato (1kg)
$0.56 PEN 1.88
$1.86 MX$32.87
-69.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 PEN 1.83
$2.22 MX$39.20
-75.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 PEN 1.59
$1.02 MX$17.99
-53.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 PEN 2.59
$1.04 MX$18.36
-25.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.02 PEN 16.87
$4.05 MX$71.5
23.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 PEN 17.39
$10.18 MX$180
-49.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 PEN 8.29
$1.69 MX$29.79
46.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 PEN 7.43
$2.62 MX$46.25
-15.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 PEN 0.98
$0.51 MX$9.09
-43.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.52 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.05 PEN 6.90
$3.15 MX$55.7
-34.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 PEN 6.87
$2.46 MX$43.49
-16.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.76 PEN 42.88
$3.26 MX$57.5
291.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.61 PEN 5.41
$1.32 MX$23.36
21.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PEN 63.4K
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-37.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K PEN 84.2K
$23.8K MX$419.3K
5.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.03 PEN 134
$83.5 MX$1,474
-52.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.58 PEN 35.54
$22.86 MX$404
-53.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.36 PEN 102
$30.04 MX$530
1.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.65 PEN 72.7
$51.9 MX$916
-58.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.27 PEN 27.80
$18.30 MX$323
-54.81%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 PEN 14.49
$5.12 MX$90.4
-15.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.1 PEN 202
$201 MX$3,541
-70.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,315 PEN 21.2K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
18.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.49 PEN 126
$35.73 MX$631
4.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.19 PEN 74.6
$40.27 MX$711
-44.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.2 PEN 212
$79.2 MX$1,398
-20.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.9 PEN 185
$89.3 MX$1,576
-38.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$237 PEN 795
$947 MX$16.7K
-75.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$157 PEN 526
$483 MX$8,525
-67.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$530 PEN 1,780
$1,599 MX$28.2K
-66.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$392 PEN 1,316
$1,211 MX$21.4K
-67.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,054 PEN 6,902
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-48.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,008 PEN 3,386
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-84.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$670 PEN 2,250
$730 MX$12.9K
-8.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
11.42
31.35%

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

Last update for Arequipa: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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