Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hot Springs, AR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,720 in Hot Springs, AR, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Hot Springs, AR
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Hot Springs, AR Living Index
58

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

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Hot Springs, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,720

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,720 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $1,720
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $2,576
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Hot Springs, AR vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hot Springs, AR $3,432
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Hot Springs, AR costs about 43% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hot Springs, AR sits 26% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 $16.83

$10.92 MX$205

54.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$43.37 MX$815

60.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 $9.35

$11.78 MX$221

-20.63%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.81 MX$71.6

33.60%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.28 MX$24.10

123.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.78 MX$14.71

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.17 MX$59.5

60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 $6.14

$4.93 MX$92.7

24.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.41 MX$26.43

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.22 MX$41.66

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.42 MX$26.64

39.44%

Eggs

$2.27 $2.27

$2.52 MX$47.41

-9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$7.26 MX$137

54.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$7.70 MX$145

61.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.35 $19.35

$12.69 MX$239

52.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.78 MX$52.3

26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.37 MX$25.71

-2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.55 MX$47.94

41.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.12 MX$39.90

78.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.94 MX$36.43

-7.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.89 MX$35.44

41.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.15 MX$21.55

100.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.18 MX$22.16

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.03 $9.03

$4.30 MX$80.7

110.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$9.95 MX$187

89.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.58 MX$29.76

58.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.67 MX$50.2

67.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.55 MX$10.40

112.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.06 $28.06

$26.62 MX$500

5.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$4.97 MX$93.4

-43.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.33 MX$62.6

-33.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.44 MX$27.14

-40.28%

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

$17.2K $17.2K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

-16.66%

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

$22.5K $22.5K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

-4.00%

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

$174 $174

$84.8 MX$1,594

105.65%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$23.41 MX$440

139.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.93 $39.93

$28.66 MX$539

39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.54 $34.54

$57.1 MX$1,072

-39.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.86 $9.86

$28.91 MX$543

-65.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 $9.87

$5.14 MX$96.6

92.02%

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

$609 $609

$207 MX$3,882

194.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.08 $40.08

$43.35 MX$815

-7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 $40.48

$41.44 MX$779

-2.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$74.2 MX$1,394

33.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 $79.9

$89.3 MX$1,677

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 $717

$980 MX$18.4K

-26.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 $591

$381 MX$7,157

55.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 $1,068

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-37.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 $897

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,947 $1,947

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-50.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,001 $2,001

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-67.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,558 $3,558

$735 MX$13.8K

384.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.45

-43.32%

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

Last update for Hot Springs, AR: October 24, 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

Hot Springs, AR

$591 34.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 35.6% $210

Groceries & Markets

Hot Springs, AR

$362 21.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.6% $107

Eating Out

Hot Springs, AR

$279 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hot Springs, AR

$270 15.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.4% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Hot Springs, AR

$117 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Hot Springs, AR

$54 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 24% $13

Getting Around

Hot Springs, AR

$47 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 8% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in Hot Springs, 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 Hot Springs, AR are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Hot Springs, AR versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hot Springs, AR

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h ahead of Hot Springs, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,930

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Hot Springs, AR Playa del Carmen 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hot Springs, 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

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

Hot Springs, AR costs about 43% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,580 per month in Hot Springs, 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 Hot Springs, AR, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $717 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $609 per month in Hot Springs, AR and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Hot Springs, 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 Hot Springs, AR at $1,720. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hot Springs, AR 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,720 in Hot Springs, AR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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