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

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $2,235 per month in Arun vs $1,262 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A couple spends around $3,360 per month in Arun vs $2,158 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

A family of three spends $4,484 per month in Arun vs $3,054 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arun costs about 77% more than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Arun sits 66% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.94 £14.03

$11.61 MX$201

63.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 £82.1

$42.75 MX$742

159.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £7.99

$10.60 MX$184

1.70%

Cappuccino

$2.78 £2.06

$3.59 MX$62.3

-22.56%

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

$2.86 £2.12

$1.45 MX$25.21

97.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.38

$0.90 MX$15.58

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 £2.06

$3.03 MX$52.6

-8.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 £2.54

$4.56 MX$79.2

-24.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 £1.32

$1.45 MX$25.20

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.83 MX$31.72

14.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 £1.90

$1.61 MX$27.92

59.63%

Eggs

$4.79 £3.55

$2.54 MX$44.05

88.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.68 £3.47

$8.54 MX$148

-45.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 £6.47

$8.47 MX$147

3.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 £10.92

$10.86 MX$189

35.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 £1.53

$2.73 MX$47.37

-24.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.49 MX$25.91

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 £2.37

$1.94 MX$33.73

64.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 £2.65

$2.16 MX$37.57

65.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.85 MX$32.05

-24.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 £0.79

$2.19 MX$38.00

-51.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 £0.60

$1.07 MX$18.62

-24.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 £0.83

$1.08 MX$18.81

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.39 £13.63

$4.06 MX$70.5

352.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 £10.46

$10.46 MX$182

34.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 £1.53

$1.65 MX$28.71

24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 £2.97

$2.55 MX$44.23

57.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 £3.30

$0.56 MX$9.65

694.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.8 £65.8

$26.20 MX$455

239.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 £4.14

$3.14 MX$54.5

78.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.37 MX$41.17

-26.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.10 £30.46

$3.24 MX$56.2

1168.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.31 MX$22.81

43.51%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$30.5K MX$530.2K

25.09%

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

$39.6K £29.4K

$23.8K MX$413.6K

66.31%

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

$325 £241

$83.1 MX$1,443

290.94%

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

$20.22 £14.98

$22.15 MX$385

-8.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.71 £31.65

$29.37 MX$510

45.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 £40.36

$51.2 MX$889

6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$324

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 £4.64

$4.89 MX$84.9

28.02%

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

$2,513 £1,862

$199 MX$3,449

1164.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K £21.2K

$5,207 MX$90.4K

448.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.38 £25.48

$35.93 MX$624

-4.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 £29.22

$39.39 MX$684

0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £94.7

$80.3 MX$1,394

59.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 £50.8

$87.6 MX$1,520

-21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 £891

$963 MX$16.7K

24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 £757

$482 MX$8,370

111.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,023 £1,499

$1,645 MX$28.6K

22.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 £1,243

$1,192 MX$20.7K

40.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$113.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,482 £2,580

$726 MX$12.6K

379.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.05

11.42

-55.78%

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

Last update for Arun: April 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,202 in Arun versus $963 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 379% higher in Arun, 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 $111 in Arun versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $253 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 77% more than Playa del Carmen, with the gap driven mainly by Getting Around. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,353 per month in Arun and $1,894 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 $111 in Arun and $43.00 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 $2,235 in Arun and $1,262 in Playa del Carmen. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,262, than in Arun at $2,235. 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 $1,262 versus $2,235 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.