Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ariana and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
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Ariana Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $666 per month in Ariana vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ariana $666
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,044 per month in Ariana vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ariana $1,044
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,422 per month in Ariana vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ariana $1,422
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ariana is about 45% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ariana and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ariana 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.08 TND 15.26

$10.92 MX$205

-53.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.54 TND 52.7

$43.37 MX$814

-59.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 TND 14.86

$11.78 MX$221

-58.06%

Cappuccino

$1.14 TND 3.42

$3.81 MX$71.5

-70.08%

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

$0.65 TND 1.95

$1.28 MX$24.07

-49.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TND 1.01

$0.78 MX$14.70

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 TND 4.90

$3.17 MX$59.5

-48.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 TND 4.05

$4.93 MX$92.7

-72.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 TND 1.53

$1.41 MX$26.40

-63.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 TND 0.79

$2.22 MX$41.62

-88.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 TND 5.07

$1.42 MX$26.61

19.01%

Eggs

$1.51 TND 4.54

$2.52 MX$47.36

-40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 TND 21.35

$7.26 MX$136

-2.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 TND 18.42

$7.70 MX$144

-20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 TND 33.54

$12.69 MX$238

-12.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 TND 5.04

$2.78 MX$52.3

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 TND 7.80

$1.37 MX$25.68

89.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 TND 3.72

$2.55 MX$47.89

-51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.44

$2.12 MX$39.86

-61.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.43

$1.94 MX$36.39

-58.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TND 2.14

$1.89 MX$35.41

-62.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 TND 1.57

$1.15 MX$21.53

-54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 TND 1.00

$1.18 MX$22.13

-72.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 TND 10.63

$4.30 MX$80.6

-17.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 TND 19.74

$9.95 MX$187

-33.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 TND 3.71

$1.58 MX$29.73

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 TND 4.51

$2.67 MX$50.1

-43.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TND 0.46

$0.55 MX$10.39

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.82 TND 29.51

$26.62 MX$500

-63.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$4.97 MX$93.3

-94.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$3.33 MX$62.5

-90.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 TND 5.52

$5.36 MX$101

-65.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 TND 2.47

$1.44 MX$27.11

-43.06%

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

$38.8K TND 116.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

87.73%

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

$36.6K TND 109.9K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

55.91%

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

$61.3 TND 184

$84.8 MX$1,592

-27.67%

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

$8.85 TND 26.60

$23.41 MX$439

-62.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.26 TND 63.9

$28.66 MX$538

-25.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 TND 94.8

$57.1 MX$1,071

-44.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 TND 49.49

$28.91 MX$543

-43.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 TND 13.34

$5.14 MX$96.5

-13.62%

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

$107 TND 321

$207 MX$3,878

-48.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 TND 9,587

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-18.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.82 TND 117

$43.35 MX$814

-10.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 TND 171

$41.44 MX$778

37.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 TND 267

$74.2 MX$1,393

19.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 TND 202

$89.3 MX$1,676

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 TND 728

$980 MX$18.4K

-75.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 TND 461

$381 MX$7,150

-59.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 TND 1,322

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-74.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 TND 875

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-72.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 TND 3,092

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-73.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 TND 2,210

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-88.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$329 TND 989

$735 MX$13.8K

-55.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.65

11.45

-6.99%

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

Last update for Ariana: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ariana

$171 25.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 48.8% $84

Accommodation & Living

Ariana

$154 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 148% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Ariana

$113 17%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ariana

$91 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.6% $45

Eating Out

Ariana

$84 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 141% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Ariana

$40 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 66.5% $27

Getting Around

Ariana

$12 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 311% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Ariana versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Ariana versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $255 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Ariana

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

19:48 7:48 PM

6 h behind Ariana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,486

149,923

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ariana Playa del Carmen 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ariana
Playa del Carmen

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Monthly costs with rent: $666 in Ariana, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Ariana comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $999 per month in Ariana and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Ariana and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ariana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ariana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ariana. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.