Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Playa del Carmen
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,527 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Aruba Living Index123Cost of Living Index in ArubaLearn more -
Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Aruba is 48.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 107.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Aruba is 67.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 94.1% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.46 AWG 33.04
$10.97 MX$201
68.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.9 AWG 161
$44.85 MX$823
100.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.12 AWG 18.11
$11.92 MX$219
-15.10%
Cappuccino
$4.98 AWG 8.91
$3.80 MX$69.9
31.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 AWG 3.74
$1.31 MX$24.08
59.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 AWG 3.24
$0.86 MX$15.72
110.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.56 AWG 9.95
$3.21 MX$59.0
73.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.80 AWG 13.96
$5.01 MX$92.0
55.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 AWG 3.20
$1.46 MX$26.77
22.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.84 AWG 5.08
$2.33 MX$42.72
21.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.24 AWG 5.81
$1.44 MX$26.48
125.00%
Eggs
$4.95 AWG 8.86
$2.46 MX$45.20
101.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 AWG 23.25
$7.70 MX$141
68.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.67 AWG 13.72
$7.89 MX$145
-2.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.37 AWG 22.14
$12.80 MX$235
-3.36%
Apples (1kg)
$4.79 AWG 8.57
$2.92 MX$53.6
64.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 AWG 5.06
$1.42 MX$26.11
99.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.41 AWG 11.47
$2.57 MX$47.10
149.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.11 AWG 9.14
$2.14 MX$39.24
138.79%
Potato (1kg)
$3.47 AWG 6.21
$1.95 MX$35.75
77.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 AWG 3.56
$1.94 MX$35.55
2.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 AWG 5.11
$1.15 MX$21.13
147.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 AWG 4.30
$1.22 MX$22.42
96.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.84 AWG 17.62
$4.38 MX$80.3
124.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.93 AWG 17.77
$9.85 MX$181
0.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.68 AWG 8.37
$1.54 MX$28.23
203.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 AWG 7.91
$2.72 MX$49.86
62.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.47 AWG 4.42
$0.52 MX$9.64
375.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.1 AWG 168
$27.42 MX$503
243.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.04 AWG 34.08
$4.91 MX$90.2
287.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.93 AWG 7.04
$3.52 MX$64.7
11.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.12 AWG 39.60
$5.69 MX$104
288.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.48 AWG 4.44
$1.54 MX$28.27
61.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.8K AWG 46.1K
$21.2K MX$389.9K
21.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K AWG 63.4K
$24.5K MX$449.6K
44.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 AWG 414
$83.6 MX$1,535
176.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$88.1 AWG 158
$24.03 MX$441
266.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$102 AWG 182
$29.33 MX$539
246.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.7 AWG 137
$64.9 MX$1,191
18.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.26 AWG 70.3
$29.46 MX$541
33.27%
Cinema Ticket
$9.90 AWG 17.72
$5.09 MX$93.4
94.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$230 AWG 412
$208 MX$3,813
10.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K AWG 21.3K
$4,045 MX$74.3K
193.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 AWG 121
$44.55 MX$818
52.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$76.3 AWG 137
$42.06 MX$772
81.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 AWG 226
$75.5 MX$1,387
67.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 AWG 223
$91.4 MX$1,678
36.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$983 AWG 1,760
$986 MX$18.1K
-0.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,001 AWG 1,792
$385 MX$7,072
159.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,660 AWG 4,762
$1,713 MX$31.5K
55.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,574 AWG 4,607
$1,108 MX$20.4K
132.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,272 AWG 4,067
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-43.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,759 AWG 3,149
$6,247 MX$114.7K
-71.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aruba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,442 AWG 4,372
$758 MX$13.9K
222.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.25
11.45
-45.41%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Aruba $1K 39.6%
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4% 61.5% $616
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aruba $421 16.7%
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2% 67.5% $284
Groceries & Markets
Aruba $392 15.5%
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2% 33.6% $132
Eating Out
Aruba $297 11.7%
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6% 31.3% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Aruba $178 7%
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3% 35.9% $64
Getting Around
Aruba $143 5.6%
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2% 63.5% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Aruba $96 3.8%
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1% 22.2% $21
Accommodation & Living
Aruba $2.6K 43.3%
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5% 56.9% $1.5K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aruba $509 8.6%
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3% 68.4% $348
Groceries & Markets
Aruba $890 15%
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8% 32.4% $288
Eating Out
Aruba $1.1K 17.7%
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8% 39.9% $419
Clothing & Footwear
Aruba $395 6.7%
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3% 35.9% $142
Getting Around
Aruba $290 4.9%
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5% 63.8% $185
Sport & Entertainment
Aruba $232 3.9%
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9% 22.7% $53
Good to know
🇦🇼 Aruba
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
Weather
Population
106,739
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Aruba Playa del Carmen 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
- Aruba
- 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
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