Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,348 in Arta, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Arta
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Arta Living Index
57

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

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Arta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,348

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Arta vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arta $1,348
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,005 per month in Arta vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arta $2,005
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,661 per month in Arta vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arta $2,661
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Arta costs about 12% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.28 €10.09

$10.67 MX$199

5.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.11 €39.44

$43.80 MX$815

0.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 €8.93

$11.79 MX$219

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.77

$3.79 MX$70.5

11.35%

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

$2.87 €2.57

$1.30 MX$24.14

120.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.83 MX$15.51

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.62

$3.15 MX$58.6

64.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 €5.38

$4.93 MX$91.8

22.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.41 MX$26.22

-12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.20 MX$40.86

-47.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.47 MX$27.40

-37.41%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.03

$2.50 MX$46.46

35.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 €12.23

$7.29 MX$136

87.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 €9.88

$7.95 MX$148

38.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.96 €9.80

$12.86 MX$239

-14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.90 MX$53.9

-65.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.38 MX$25.74

-7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.49 MX$46.35

-51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.89

$2.03 MX$37.77

-51.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.02 MX$37.68

-39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.90 MX$35.42

-42.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 MX$21.30

-28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 €0.14

$1.24 MX$23.05

-87.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 €4.46

$4.27 MX$79.5

16.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$9.81 MX$183

-54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.59 MX$29.51

-46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.75 MX$51.1

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.51 MX$9.58

176.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.30 €44.09

$27.39 MX$510

79.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.85

$4.76 MX$88.6

-9.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.25 MX$60.5

-66.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 €14.82

$5.39 MX$100

207.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.53 MX$28.44

37.25%

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

$28.2K €25.2K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

32.91%

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

$28.1K €25.2K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

20.99%

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

$211 €189

$83.5 MX$1,554

152.75%

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

$23.45 €20.97

$23.19 MX$431

1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.99 €22.35

$27.61 MX$514

-9.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.61

$56.4 MX$1,050

-7.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.62 €22.91

$28.19 MX$525

-9.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.48

$5.00 MX$93.1

112.00%

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

$467 €417

$207 MX$3,854

125.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 €8,084

$5,231 MX$97.3K

72.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.9

$43.45 MX$809

105.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.26 €25.27

$42.54 MX$792

-33.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 €69.5

$72.8 MX$1,354

6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 €80.0

$88.4 MX$1,645

1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €442

$995 MX$18.5K

-50.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 €339

$382 MX$7,116

-0.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 €667

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-55.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 €535

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-44.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 €2,215

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-36.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,969 €1,761

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-67.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$895 €800

$832 MX$15.5K

7.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

11.45

-53.36%

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

Last update for Arta: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arta

$379 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 0.9% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arta

$259 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.2% $125

Eating Out

Arta

$222 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 9.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Arta

$221 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 16.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Arta

$128 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 13.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Arta

$73 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 9.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Arta

$65 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 22% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $494 in Arta versus $995 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 7% higher in Arta, 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 $44 in Arta versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $257 – making Arta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Arta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

7 h behind Arta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,435

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Arta Playa del Carmen 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Arta
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

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

Yes – Arta is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Arta and $1,804 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 Arta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $494 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Arta – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,348 in Arta and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,348 in Arta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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