Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fayetteville, AR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,098 in Fayetteville, AR, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Fayetteville, AR
Learn more

Fayetteville, AR Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Fayetteville, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,098

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,098 per month in Fayetteville, AR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fayetteville, AR $2,098
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,215 per month in Fayetteville, AR vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fayetteville, AR $3,215
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,331 per month in Fayetteville, AR vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Fayetteville, AR $4,331
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Fayetteville, AR costs about 74% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fayetteville, AR sits 54% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.24 $16.24

$10.92 MX$204

48.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$43.37 MX$808

81.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 $9.32

$11.78 MX$220

-20.88%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$3.81 MX$71.0

38.85%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$1.28 MX$23.90

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.78 MX$14.59

117.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.17 MX$59.0

90.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.93 MX$92.0

42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.41 MX$26.22

-36.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.22 MX$41.33

61.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.42 MX$26.42

166.20%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$2.52 MX$47.03

115.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 $8.13

$7.26 MX$135

11.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 $8.45

$7.70 MX$143

9.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 $13.52

$12.69 MX$237

6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.78 MX$51.9

61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.37 MX$25.50

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.55 MX$47.55

6.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.12 MX$39.58

87.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.94 MX$36.13

2.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.89 MX$35.16

34.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.15 MX$21.37

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.18 MX$21.98

69.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 $9.41

$4.30 MX$80.1

118.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.01 $14.01

$9.95 MX$185

40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.58 MX$29.52

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.67 MX$49.79

17.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.97 MX$92.6

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$3.33 MX$62.1

-61.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.23 $30.23

$5.36 MX$99.8

463.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.44 MX$26.92

-32.64%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

30.84%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

10.86%

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

$177 $177

$84.8 MX$1,581

108.74%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$23.41 MX$436

134.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.4 $62.4

$28.66 MX$534

117.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.86 $30.86

$57.1 MX$1,063

-45.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 $9.91

$5.14 MX$95.8

92.80%

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

$1,094 $1,094

$207 MX$3,851

429.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

492.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$43.35 MX$808

21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 $41.94

$41.44 MX$772

1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$74.2 MX$1,383

44.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$89.3 MX$1,664

56.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 $1,485

$980 MX$18.3K

51.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 $974

$381 MX$7,099

155.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 $2,319

$1,708 MX$31.8K

35.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$1,075 MX$20.0K

66.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,758 $3,758

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,199 $2,199

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-64.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,634 $3,634

$735 MX$13.7K

394.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.45

-43.67%

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

Last update for Fayetteville, AR: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fayetteville, AR

$974 46.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 60.9% $593

Groceries & Markets

Fayetteville, AR

$336 16%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 24.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fayetteville, AR

$294 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53.5% $157

Eating Out

Fayetteville, AR

$281 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 28% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Fayetteville, AR

$154 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Fayetteville, AR

$51 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.8% $17

Getting Around

Fayetteville, AR

$9.2 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 449% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,485 in Fayetteville, AR versus $980 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 in Fayetteville, AR are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fayetteville, AR versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fayetteville, AR

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Fayetteville, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,949

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fayetteville, AR Playa del Carmen 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fayetteville, AR
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

Fayetteville, AR vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,098 in Fayetteville, AR, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,148 per month in Fayetteville, AR 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,485 in Fayetteville, AR.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fayetteville, AR and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Fayetteville, AR, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Fayetteville, AR at $2,098. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fayetteville, AR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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