Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arun and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,629 in Arun, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Arun
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Arun Living Index
59

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

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Arun

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,629

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,629 per month in Arun vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arun $2,629
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,863 per month in Arun vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arun $3,863
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $5,097 per month in Arun vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arun $5,097
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Arun costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arun sits 94% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.34 £19.76

$10.86 MX$201

142.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$44.21 MX$817

145.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 £8.02

$11.76 MX$217

-9.10%

Cappuccino

$5.82 £4.37

$3.68 MX$68.0

58.15%

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

$3.02 £2.26

$1.34 MX$24.79

125.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 £1.65

$0.82 MX$15.24

169.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.81

$3.06 MX$56.6

196.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 £6.24

$4.94 MX$91.2

68.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.47 MX$27.17

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.22 MX$40.95

-9.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.48 MX$27.32

65.54%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.49 MX$45.99

104.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.70 £3.52

$7.52 MX$139

-37.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.72 £8.04

$7.96 MX$147

34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 £12.90

$12.57 MX$232

36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.78 MX$51.3

10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$1.43 MX$26.37

-22.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 £2.25

$2.62 MX$48.37

14.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.55

$2.14 MX$39.49

58.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.02 MX$37.38

-20.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.99 MX$36.74

-9.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.14 MX$21.01

27.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.20 MX$22.18

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$4.26 MX$78.7

455.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 £9.84

$10.02 MX$185

30.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.54 MX$28.41

109.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.37

$2.66 MX$49.17

68.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 £2.72

$0.53 MX$9.73

584.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.1 £74.3

$27.51 MX$508

260.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 £4.29

$4.90 MX$90.6

16.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.43 MX$63.5

-5.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.16 £19.62

$5.38 MX$99.4

386.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.45 MX$26.76

32.41%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

83.59%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

78.36%

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

$370 £277

$85.4 MX$1,577

333.04%

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

$17.94 £13.46

$23.46 MX$434

-23.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 £29.98

$28.43 MX$525

40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 £39.87

$62.2 MX$1,149

-14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 £4.61

$5.10 MX$94.3

20.59%

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

$2,919 £2,190

$201 MX$3,715

1351.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.4K £27.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

822.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.8

$44.39 MX$820

163.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 £29.48

$41.35 MX$764

-4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.2

$72.7 MX$1,344

76.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 £49.94

$89.6 MX$1,656

-25.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 £874

$979 MX$18.1K

18.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 £840

$373 MX$6,887

200.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 £1,691

$1,681 MX$31.1K

34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 £1,347

$1,095 MX$20.2K

63.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,762 £3,572

$3,949 MX$73.0K

20.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,150 £3,113

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-32.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

11.45

-58.60%

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

Last update for Arun: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arun

$1.1K 42.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 66.7% $746

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arun

$428 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 67.9% $290

Eating Out

Arun

$396 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 49.4% $195

Groceries & Markets

Arun

$328 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 21.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Arun

$158 6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.3% $46

Getting Around

Arun

$135 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 61.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Arun

$65 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 10.6% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in Arun versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Arun versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Arun

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

6 h behind Arun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,285

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arun Playa del Carmen 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arun
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

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

Arun costs about 118% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,943 per month in Arun and $1,806 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Arun and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,629 in Arun and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Arun at $2,629. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,629 in Arun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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