Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,800 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
58

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

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,800 in Arrest versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Arrest $1,800
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,757 in Arrest versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Arrest $2,757
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,713 in Arrest versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Arrest $3,713
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Arrest is roughly 49% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arrest is 32% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.11

$10.92 MX$204

54.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.5

$43.37 MX$808

29.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.90

$11.78 MX$220

12.39%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.81 MX$71.0

-22.05%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$1.28 MX$23.90

138.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$0.78 MX$14.59

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 €7.66

$3.17 MX$59.0

168.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €5.00

$4.93 MX$92.0

12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.41 MX$26.22

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.52

$2.22 MX$41.33

-23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.42 MX$26.42

75.35%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.52

$2.52 MX$47.03

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 €9.05

$7.26 MX$135

38.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.80

$7.70 MX$143

56.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 €14.30

$12.69 MX$237

25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.78 MX$51.9

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$1.37 MX$25.50

121.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.55 MX$47.55

-42.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.78

$2.12 MX$39.58

98.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$1.94 MX$36.13

-5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.89 MX$35.16

10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.15 MX$21.37

40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$1.18 MX$21.98

-86.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 €11.35

$4.30 MX$80.1

193.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.99

$9.95 MX$185

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.58 MX$29.52

-9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.43

$2.67 MX$49.79

-40.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.74

$0.55 MX$10.31

252.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €45.31

$26.62 MX$496

89.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.04

$4.97 MX$92.6

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.03

$3.33 MX$62.1

-65.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 €29.30

$5.36 MX$99.8

508.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.44 MX$26.92

50.69%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

68.84%

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

$35.8K €32.2K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

52.67%

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

$200 €180

$84.8 MX$1,581

135.90%

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

$32.60 €29.28

$23.41 MX$436

39.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.74 €28.51

$28.66 MX$534

10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 €36.10

$57.1 MX$1,063

-29.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.91

$5.14 MX$95.8

201.17%

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

$889 €799

$207 MX$3,851

330.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,481

$3,927 MX$73.2K

168.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €116

$43.35 MX$808

197.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.35 €41.63

$41.44 MX$772

11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 €88.8

$74.2 MX$1,383

33.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €142

$89.3 MX$1,664

77.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 €741

$980 MX$18.3K

-15.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 €563

$381 MX$7,099

64.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 €1,380

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$1,075 MX$20.0K

7.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,727 €3,348

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-5.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,368 €3,026

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-45.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

11.45

-65.94%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$626 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 39.2% $246

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$293 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13.1% $38

Eating Out

Arrest

$284 15.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$264 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$195 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 42.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$71 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Arrest

$66 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 23.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $825 in Arrest and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Arrest vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

6 h behind Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arrest Playa del Carmen 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,700 in Arrest and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $825 in Arrest versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $889 in Arrest versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,800 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.