Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Aruba is 36.2% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 122.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Aruba is 110% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 134.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.83 AWG 22.97
$11.99 MX$227
7.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.2 AWG 163
$42.47 MX$803
114.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.13 AWG 18.13
$10.47 MX$198
-3.25%
Cappuccino
$4.86 AWG 8.7
$3.6 MX$68.2
35.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 AWG 4.14
$1.44 MX$27.16
60.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2 AWG 3.58
$0.89 MX$16.79
124.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.16 AWG 7.46
$3.09 MX$58.5
34.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 AWG 10.6
$4.58 MX$86.6
29.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 AWG 4.13
$1.38 MX$26.04
67.39%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 AWG 6.72
$1.85 MX$34.9
102.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.82 AWG 6.83
$1.57 MX$29.68
143.31%
Eggs
$5.57 AWG 9.97
$2.55 MX$48.3
118.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$31.91 AWG 57.1
$8.61 MX$163
270.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.56 AWG 11.74
$8.54 MX$161
-23.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.07 AWG 30.55
$10.98 MX$208
55.46%
Apples (1kg)
$6.15 AWG 11.01
$2.72 MX$51.4
126.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 AWG 5.02
$1.51 MX$28.57
85.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.87 AWG 12.3
$1.88 MX$35.63
265.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.84 AWG 14.04
$2.19 MX$41.42
257.99%
Potato (1kg)
$3.94 AWG 7.04
$1.87 MX$35.3
110.70%
Onion (1kg)
$3.79 AWG 6.79
$2.19 MX$41.37
73.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$5.88 AWG 10.52
$1.07 MX$20.23
449.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 AWG 6.83
$1.09 MX$20.64
250.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.69 AWG 31.67
$3.96 MX$74.9
346.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.28 AWG 32.73
$8.86 MX$167
106.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 MX$32.53
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 AWG 8.81
$2.61 MX$49.37
88.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.11 MX$58.7
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 AWG 2.58
$1.31 MX$24.85
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$256 AWG 458
$84.2 MX$1,592
203.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$131 AWG 235
$22.14 MX$419
491.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.1 AWG 122
$30.14 MX$570
125.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.6 AWG 107
$52 MX$983
14.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.72 MX$354
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.13 AWG 23.51
$5.07 MX$95.9
158.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$294 AWG 527
$200 MX$3,787
46.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18K AWG 32.3K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
238.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.51 AWG 88.6
$35.74 MX$676
38.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.8 AWG 116
$39.8 MX$753
62.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 AWG 215
$79 MX$1,493
52.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$88.4 MX$1,671
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$736 AWG 1,318
$965 MX$18.3K
-23.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,411 AWG 2,527
$474 MX$8,968
197.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,165 AWG 5,666
$1,653 MX$31.2K
91.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,042 AWG 7,236
$1,202 MX$22.7K
236.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,423 AWG 4,338
$792 MX$15K
206.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
11.42
-38.70%

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

Last update for Aruba: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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