Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noord and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,559 in Noord, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Noord

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,559

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Noord vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Noord $2,559
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,101 per month in Noord vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Noord $4,101
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,644 per month in Noord vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Noord $5,644
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Noord costs about 112% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Noord sits 88% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.43 AWG 45.50

$10.92 MX$205

132.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 AWG 172

$43.37 MX$814

122.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 AWG 27.09

$11.78 MX$221

28.52%

Cappuccino

$2.98 AWG 5.34

$3.81 MX$71.5

-21.78%

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

$2.45 AWG 4.39

$1.28 MX$24.07

91.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 AWG 3.06

$0.78 MX$14.70

119.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 AWG 13.59

$3.17 MX$59.5

139.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 AWG 15.05

$4.93 MX$92.7

70.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 AWG 3.42

$1.41 MX$26.40

35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 AWG 5.24

$2.22 MX$41.62

31.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 AWG 5.01

$1.42 MX$26.61

97.18%

Eggs

$6.28 AWG 11.24

$2.52 MX$47.36

149.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AWG 22.55

$7.26 MX$136

73.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 AWG 16.79

$7.70 MX$144

21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.10 AWG 21.66

$12.69 MX$238

-4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 AWG 8.31

$2.78 MX$52.3

66.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 AWG 4.10

$1.37 MX$25.68

67.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 AWG 8.82

$2.55 MX$47.89

93.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 AWG 6.17

$2.12 MX$39.86

62.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 AWG 3.97

$1.94 MX$36.39

14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 AWG 3.55

$1.89 MX$35.41

5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 AWG 4.78

$1.15 MX$21.53

132.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 AWG 2.70

$1.18 MX$22.13

27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 AWG 18.10

$4.30 MX$80.6

135.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.97 AWG 17.84

$9.95 MX$187

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.76 AWG 10.31

$1.58 MX$29.73

264.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 AWG 8.05

$2.67 MX$50.1

68.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.87 AWG 5.13

$1.44 MX$27.11

99.31%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$198 AWG 354

$84.8 MX$1,592

133.08%

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

$69.3 AWG 124

$23.41 MX$439

196.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.1 AWG 177

$28.66 MX$538

245.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 AWG 2,636

$980 MX$18.4K

50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 AWG 2,612

$381 MX$7,150

283.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 AWG 5,611

$1,708 MX$32.1K

83.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 AWG 5,630

$1,075 MX$20.2K

192.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Noord: October 27, 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

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Eating Out

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Getting Around

Noord

–

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,473 in Noord 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Noord versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Noord

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h behind Noord

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,193

149,923

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Noord Playa del Carmen 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Noord
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

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

Noord costs about 112% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Noord 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 $1,473 in Noord.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,559 in Noord and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Noord, 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 Noord at $2,559. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noord 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 $2,559 in Noord. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.