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

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Arequipa is 49.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49.1% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Arequipa is 28.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 51.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.13 PENΒ 14.9
$11.99 MX$227
-65.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.5 PENΒ 99.3
$42.47 MX$803
-35.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.63 PENΒ 20.32
$10.47 MX$198
-46.23%
Cappuccino
$2.51 PENΒ 9.05
$3.6 MX$68.2
-30.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PENΒ 2.75
$1.44 MX$27.16
-47.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PENΒ 1.34
$0.89 MX$16.79
-58.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 PENΒ 7.92
$3.09 MX$58.5
-29.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 PENΒ 21.38
$4.58 MX$86.6
29.26%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 PENΒ 5.78
$1.38 MX$26.04
15.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 PENΒ 4.45
$1.85 MX$34.9
-33.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 PENΒ 4.4
$1.57 MX$29.68
-22.29%
Eggs
$2.09 PENΒ 7.54
$2.55 MX$48.3
-18.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.39 PENΒ 19.49
$8.61 MX$163
-37.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.42 PENΒ 19.58
$8.54 MX$161
-36.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.73 PENΒ 27.92
$10.98 MX$208
-29.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 PENΒ 5.48
$2.72 MX$51.4
-44.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 PENΒ 4.39
$1.51 MX$28.57
-19.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PENΒ 4.41
$1.88 MX$35.63
-35.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.8 PENΒ 2.89
$2.19 MX$41.42
-63.47%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 PENΒ 2.11
$1.87 MX$35.3
-68.98%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 PENΒ 1.97
$2.19 MX$41.37
-74.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 PENΒ 1.71
$1.07 MX$20.23
-56.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 PENΒ 2.58
$1.09 MX$20.64
-34.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.02 PENΒ 18.15
$3.96 MX$74.9
26.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.1 PENΒ 18.43
$8.86 MX$167
-42.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.5 PENΒ 9.02
$1.72 MX$32.53
45.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 PENΒ 8.11
$2.61 MX$49.37
-14.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PENΒ 0.97
$0.52 MX$9.74
-48.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 PENΒ 7.73
$3.24 MX$61.2
-33.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 PENΒ 7.45
$2.38 MX$44.94
-13.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.93 PENΒ 46.71
$3.11 MX$58.7
315.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 PENΒ 5.61
$1.31 MX$24.85
18.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K PENΒ 69.5K
$30.3K MX$573K
-36.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K PENΒ 89.8K
$24K MX$453.6K
3.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.77 PENΒ 144
$84.2 MX$1,592
-52.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.54 PENΒ 38.09
$22.14 MX$419
-52.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.12 PENΒ 112
$30.14 MX$570
3.25%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.83 PENΒ 78.9
$52 MX$983
-58.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.56 PENΒ 30.91
$18.72 MX$354
-54.27%
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 PENΒ 16.51
$5.07 MX$95.9
-9.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.1 PENΒ 217
$200 MX$3,787
-69.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,375 PENΒ 23K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
19.55%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.87 PENΒ 133
$35.74 MX$676
3.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.42 PENΒ 81
$39.8 MX$753
-43.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.2 PENΒ 225
$79 MX$1,493
-21.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.2 PENΒ 199
$88.4 MX$1,671
-37.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$239 PENΒ 865
$965 MX$18.3K
-75.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 PENΒ 562
$474 MX$8,968
-67.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$532 PENΒ 1,921
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-67.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 PENΒ 1,429
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-67.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,431 PENΒ 8,781
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-21.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,336 PENΒ 4,826
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-82.26%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$637 PENΒ 2,301
$792 MX$15K
-19.56%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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