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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 45.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 48.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 50.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.15 PEN 14.14
$11.85 MX$208
-64.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.05 PEN 95.7
$42.16 MX$742
-33.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 PEN 18.58
$10.75 MX$189
-49.30%
Cappuccino
$2.52 PEN 8.60
$3.47 MX$61.1
-27.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.60
$1.45 MX$25.56
-47.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 PEN 1.35
$0.90 MX$15.88
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 PEN 7.68
$3.05 MX$53.7
-26.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.04 PEN 20.59
$4.42 MX$77.7
36.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 PEN 5.20
$1.37 MX$24.09
10.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 PEN 4.37
$1.87 MX$32.93
-31.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 PEN 4.32
$1.54 MX$27.15
-17.53%
Eggs
$2.08 PEN 7.11
$2.50 MX$44.03
-16.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.44 PEN 18.55
$8.61 MX$151
-36.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.24 PEN 17.88
$8.63 MX$152
-39.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.50 PEN 25.57
$11.02 MX$194
-31.94%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 PEN 5.09
$2.75 MX$48.36
-45.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 PEN 4.03
$1.43 MX$25.12
-17.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PEN 4.14
$1.87 MX$32.94
-34.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.82 PEN 2.80
$2.17 MX$38.13
-62.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 PEN 1.98
$1.88 MX$33.12
-69.15%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 PEN 1.86
$2.25 MX$39.51
-75.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 PEN 1.51
$1.07 MX$18.78
-58.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 PEN 2.47
$1.07 MX$18.88
-31.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 PEN 16.59
$4.15 MX$73.1
17.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 PEN 17.66
$10.34 MX$182
-49.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 PEN 8.47
$1.68 MX$29.54
47.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 PEN 7.58
$2.48 MX$43.69
-10.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PEN 0.91
$0.55 MX$9.76
-50.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$467
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.05 PEN 7.01
$3.22 MX$56.6
-36.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 PEN 7.01
$2.48 MX$43.65
-16.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.90 PEN 43.99
$3.11 MX$54.7
314.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 PEN 5.27
$1.26 MX$22.09
22.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PEN 64.4K
$30.7K MX$539.3K
-38.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K PEN 86.0K
$24.0K MX$422.8K
4.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.50 PEN 135
$82.5 MX$1,451
-52.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.48 PEN 35.75
$22.29 MX$392
-52.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 PEN 103
$30.02 MX$528
0.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.27 PEN 72.5
$51.4 MX$905
-58.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.50 PEN 28.98
$18.29 MX$322
-53.53%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 PEN 15.43
$4.98 MX$87.7
-9.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$59.6 PEN 203
$200 MX$3,518
-70.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,330 PEN 21.6K
$5,304 MX$93.3K
19.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.11 PEN 130
$35.71 MX$628
6.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.08 PEN 75.3
$39.56 MX$696
-44.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.4 PEN 216
$80.6 MX$1,417
-21.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.1 PEN 188
$88.3 MX$1,554
-37.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$244 PEN 831
$969 MX$17.1K
-74.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$160 PEN 547
$482 MX$8,482
-66.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 PEN 1,838
$1,595 MX$28.1K
-66.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 PEN 1,329
$1,184 MX$20.8K
-67.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,038 PEN 6,949
$4,050 MX$71.2K
-49.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$990 PEN 3,376
$6,522 MX$114.7K
-84.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$658 PEN 2,243
$756 MX$13.3K
-13.06%
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: March 2, 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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