Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $552 per month in Arusha vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arusha $552
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $887 per month in Arusha vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arusha $887
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Arusha vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arusha $1,222
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Arusha is about 54% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arusha and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 59% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$10.86 MX$201

-69.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

$44.21 MX$817

-39.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

$11.76 MX$217

-21.77%

Cappuccino

$1.66 TZS 4,356

$3.68 MX$68.0

-54.89%

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

$0.87 TZS 2,284

$1.34 MX$24.79

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 842

$0.82 MX$15.24

-60.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 TZS 2,659

$3.06 MX$56.6

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TZS 7,351

$4.94 MX$91.2

-43.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.47 MX$27.17

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 TZS 1,773

$2.22 MX$40.95

-69.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,344

$1.48 MX$27.32

12.16%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,552

$2.49 MX$45.99

-30.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 TZS 6,066

$2.78 MX$51.3

-16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,039

$2.14 MX$39.49

-63.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,284

$2.02 MX$37.38

-75.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,795

$1.99 MX$36.74

-46.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,046

$1.20 MX$22.18

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,927

$4.26 MX$78.7

-64.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 TZS 2,563

$1.54 MX$28.41

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$2.66 MX$49.17

-65.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 496

$0.53 MX$9.73

-64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

$5.38 MX$99.4

39.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 TZS 3,441

$1.45 MX$26.76

-9.66%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

$85.4 MX$1,577

-67.27%

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

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

$23.46 MX$434

-63.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

$28.43 MX$525

62.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

$62.2 MX$1,149

4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$5.10 MX$94.3

-7.84%

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

89.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 TZS 727.8K

$979 MX$18.1K

-71.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 TZS 626.7K

$373 MX$6,887

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 TZS 1.3M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-70.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 TZS 1.4M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-52.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Arusha: 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

Arusha

$239 43.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 55.8% $133

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 123% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$83 15%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 65.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 2.9% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$65 * 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 295% $193

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 6701% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Arusha 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 $27.00 in Arusha versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $65.0 vs $258 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

8 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

149,923

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arusha Playa del Carmen 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $552 in Arusha, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Arusha 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 Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha 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 $552 in Arusha and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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