Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arima and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Arima and in Playa del Carmen: $1,268 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
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Arima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,268 per month in Arima vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arima $1,268
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Arima vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arima $2,161
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,054 per month in Arima vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arima $3,054
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Arima costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arima and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Arima 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 TTD 70.7

$10.76 MX$199

-2.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 TTD 488

$43.03 MX$795

68.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 TTD 59.0

$11.79 MX$218

-25.61%

Cappuccino

$3.68 TTD 24.73

$3.87 MX$71.4

-4.91%

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

$1.04 TTD 7.02

$1.37 MX$25.29

-24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.17

$0.84 MX$15.44

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 TTD 12.19

$3.10 MX$57.3

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 TTD 19.66

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 TTD 16.03

$1.44 MX$26.55

65.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 TTD 16.66

$2.23 MX$41.23

11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 TTD 19.60

$1.47 MX$27.17

97.96%

Eggs

$4.40 TTD 29.61

$2.53 MX$46.71

73.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 TTD 44.27

$7.30 MX$135

-9.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 TTD 44.89

$7.86 MX$145

-15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 TTD 58.6

$12.79 MX$236

-31.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 TTD 36.23

$2.90 MX$53.6

85.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 TTD 15.41

$1.44 MX$26.53

59.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 TTD 25.39

$2.55 MX$47.07

48.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 TTD 33.23

$2.06 MX$38.03

139.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 TTD 8.91

$2.00 MX$36.97

-34.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 TTD 6.73

$2.01 MX$37.07

-50.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 TTD 9.04

$1.19 MX$22.02

12.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 TTD 6.38

$1.26 MX$23.23

-24.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.82 TTD 32.42

$4.40 MX$81.4

9.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 TTD 128

$9.59 MX$177

97.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 TTD 12.84

$1.59 MX$29.41

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 TTD 19.85

$2.81 MX$51.9

4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 TTD 7.09

$0.57 MX$10.47

84.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 TTD 4.90

$4.98 MX$92.1

-85.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 TTD 4.85

$3.50 MX$64.6

-79.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.69 TTD 98.8

$5.40 MX$99.8

172.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 TTD 7.76

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

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

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

28.00%

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

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

48.45%

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

$89.5 TTD 602

$84.2 MX$1,556

6.25%

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

$44.08 TTD 297

$23.99 MX$443

83.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 TTD 386

$29.02 MX$536

97.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 TTD 345

$63.0 MX$1,164

-18.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$8.93 TTD 60.1

$4.94 MX$91.3

80.77%

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

$178 TTD 1,197

$204 MX$3,763

-12.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

172.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 TTD 414

$43.60 MX$806

41.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.60 TTD 300

$43.12 MX$797

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 TTD 975

$75.8 MX$1,400

91.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 TTD 498

$88.6 MX$1,637

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 TTD 3,415

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-49.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 TTD 2,439

$374 MX$6,911

-3.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 TTD 7,055

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 TTD 6,066

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-18.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,222 TTD 8,219

$754 MX$13.9K

61.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

11.45

-49.78%

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

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arima

$363 28.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 3.1% $11

Groceries & Markets

Arima

$314 24.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 17.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arima

$191 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 28.1% $54

Eating Out

Arima

$177 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Arima

$146 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Arima

$69 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 515% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $508 in Arima versus $1,008 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 run about 62% higher in Arima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Arima versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Arima

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Arima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TTD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arima Playa del Carmen 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arima
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

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

Arima costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,902 per month in Arima and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,268 in Arima and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $178 per month in Arima and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Arima at $1,268. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,268 in Arima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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