Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Little Rock, AR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,150 in Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Little Rock, AR
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Little Rock, AR Living Index
59

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

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Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,150

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,150 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $2,150
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,136 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $3,136
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $4,122 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $4,122
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Little Rock, AR costs about 79% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Little Rock, AR sits 59% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 $16.69

$10.86 MX$201

53.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$44.21 MX$817

72.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$11.76 MX$217

-5.27%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.68 MX$68.0

38.59%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$1.34 MX$24.79

117.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.82 MX$15.24

197.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 $5.61

$3.06 MX$56.6

83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.62 $6.62

$4.94 MX$91.2

34.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.47 MX$27.17

-27.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.22 MX$40.95

22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.48 MX$27.32

85.81%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$2.49 MX$45.99

35.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$7.52 MX$139

34.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$7.96 MX$147

51.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.58 $22.58

$12.57 MX$232

79.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.78 MX$51.3

82.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.43 MX$26.37

2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.62 MX$48.37

72.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.14 MX$39.49

82.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.02 MX$37.38

39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.99 MX$36.74

27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.14 MX$21.01

68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.20 MX$22.18

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$4.26 MX$78.7

117.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 $13.25

$10.02 MX$185

32.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.54 MX$28.41

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.66 MX$49.17

-34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.53 MX$9.73

162.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.10 $36.10

$27.51 MX$508

31.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.90 MX$90.6

-48.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.86 $23.86

$5.38 MX$99.4

343.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.45 MX$26.76

-35.86%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

27.17%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

13.55%

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

$219 $219

$85.4 MX$1,577

156.90%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$23.46 MX$434

152.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$28.43 MX$525

145.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.32 $28.32

$62.2 MX$1,149

-54.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.15 $14.15

$28.68 MX$530

-50.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 $13.10

$5.10 MX$94.3

156.86%

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

$1,051 $1,051

$201 MX$3,715

422.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

385.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$44.39 MX$820

15.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 $38.74

$41.35 MX$764

-6.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 $84.0

$72.7 MX$1,344

15.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$89.6 MX$1,656

69.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 $1,145

$979 MX$18.1K

16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 $883

$373 MX$6,887

136.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-8.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$1,095 MX$20.2K

20.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 $1,912

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,325 $1,325

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-78.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,988 $3,988

$738 MX$13.6K

440.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.45

-41.05%

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

Last update for Little Rock, AR: October 19, 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

Little Rock, AR

$883 41.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 57.8% $510

Groceries & Markets

Little Rock, AR

$375 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 31.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Little Rock, AR

$348 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 60.6% $211

Eating Out

Little Rock, AR

$291 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 31.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Little Rock, AR

$147 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Little Rock, AR

$55 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 32.8% $18

Getting Around

Little Rock, AR

$52 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,145 in Little Rock, AR 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.

Salaries run about 441% higher in Little Rock, AR, 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 $76.0 in Little Rock, AR versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Little Rock, AR

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

Same time as Little Rock, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,591

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Little Rock, AR Playa del Carmen 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Little Rock, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,150 in Little Rock, AR, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,225 per month in Little Rock, 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,051 per month in Little Rock, AR and $201 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 45% more in Little Rock, AR, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Little Rock, AR at $2,150. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Little Rock, 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 $2,150 in Little Rock, AR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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