Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,039 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,039 per month in Arlon vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arlon $2,039
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,127 per month in Arlon vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arlon $3,127
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,215 per month in Arlon vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arlon $4,215
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Arlon costs about 68% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Arlon sits 51% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$10.76 MX$199

54.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$43.03 MX$795

110.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$11.79 MX$218

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$2.73 €2.42

$3.87 MX$71.4

-29.46%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$1.37 MX$25.29

95.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.84 MX$15.44

213.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.10 MX$57.3

10.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.02

$5.07 MX$93.6

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.44 MX$26.55

-17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.23 MX$41.23

-31.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.47 MX$27.17

60.54%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.53 MX$46.71

47.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 €13.07

$7.30 MX$135

101.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.31

$7.86 MX$145

47.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$12.79 MX$236

15.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.67

$2.90 MX$53.6

3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.44 MX$26.53

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.55 MX$47.07

-12.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.06 MX$38.03

46.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.00 MX$36.97

-18.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.01 MX$37.07

1.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.19 MX$22.02

49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.26 MX$23.23

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 €8.15

$4.40 MX$81.4

108.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$9.59 MX$177

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.59 MX$29.41

23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.81 MX$51.9

-60.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.57 MX$10.47

294.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.97 €36.44

$27.82 MX$514

47.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$4.98 MX$92.1

-20.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.36

$3.50 MX$64.6

-24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$5.40 MX$99.8

208.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.47 MX$27.08

30.61%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

66.09%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

41.22%

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

$266 €237

$84.2 MX$1,556

216.27%

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

$24.65 €21.93

$23.99 MX$443

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$29.02 MX$536

76.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$29.14 MX$539

-17.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.76

$4.94 MX$91.3

76.72%

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

$851 €757

$204 MX$3,763

318.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €74.9

$43.60 MX$806

93.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.27

$43.12 MX$797

18.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 €45.30

$75.8 MX$1,400

-32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$88.6 MX$1,637

27.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-11.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 €827

$374 MX$6,911

148.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,506

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-0.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,510

$1,106 MX$20.4K

53.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,263 €3,792

$3,944 MX$72.9K

8.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,523

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-35.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,890 €2,570

$754 MX$13.9K

283.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

11.45

-68.12%

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

Last update for Arlon: October 11, 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

Arlon

$930 45.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 59.8% $556

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlon

$342 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 59.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Arlon

$300 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 14% $42

Eating Out

Arlon

$247 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 18.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Arlon

$134 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 16% $21

Getting Around

Arlon

$67 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 21.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Arlon

$17 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 318% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $896 in Arlon 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 283% higher in Arlon, 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 $91.0 in Arlon versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Arlon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

7 h behind Arlon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,759

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Arlon Playa del Carmen 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlon
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

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

Arlon costs about 68% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,058 per month in Arlon 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 $2,039 in Arlon and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 68%.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Arlon at $2,039. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,039 in Arlon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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