Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Araras

For one person, living is cheaper in Araras: $831 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Araras
Learn more

Araras Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Araras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Araras

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Araras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $831 in Araras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Araras $831

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,358 in Araras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Araras $1,358

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,884 in Araras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Araras $1,884

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Araras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Araras are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Araras 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$5.27 R$28.94

102.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$36.99 R$203

18.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$8.21 R$45.06

43.61%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.05 R$11.26

84.88%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$1.58 R$8.66

-17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$1.13 R$6.20

-26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.19 R$12.00

43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.02 R$22.04

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$0.95 R$5.23

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.50 R$8.23

46.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$0.72 R$3.95

104.17%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.89 R$10.38

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$8.57 R$47.02

-14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$4.11 R$22.55

93.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$9.99 R$54.8

28.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.25 R$12.34

28.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.17 R$6.40

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$0.70 R$3.86

255.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.77 R$9.69

14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.75 R$4.12

169.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$0.68 R$3.72

179.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.90 R$4.95

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.45 R$2.48

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.54 R$13.95

68.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$8.16 R$44.76

20.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.62 R$3.42

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.18 R$11.95

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.93 R$5.12

-45.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$42.62 R$234

-35.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.20 R$6.61

296.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.29 R$7.06

151.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$9.00 R$49.38

-40.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.97 R$5.33

57.73%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$22.2K R$121.8K

-4.42%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$29.9K R$163.9K

-22.12%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$37.59 R$206

122.11%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$13.23 R$72.6

75.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$17.24 R$94.6

60.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$42.43 R$233

33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$26.25 R$144

7.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$5.56 R$30.49

-10.07%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$414 R$2,270

-49.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,046 R$38.7K

-25.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$51.0 R$280

-14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$55.8 R$306

-23.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$89.2 R$490

-18.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$80.0 R$439

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$213 R$1,171

366.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$233 R$1,276

64.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$644 R$3,534

160.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$451 R$2,473

139.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,560 R$8,564

150.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,139 R$6,253

438.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.12

2.97%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Araras: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Araras

$233 28% 39.2% $150

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Araras

$177 21.4% 31.1% $80

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Araras

$121 14.6% 39.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Araras

$68 8.2% 49.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Araras

$124 15% 11.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Araras

$54 6.4% 19.4% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Araras

$54 6.5% 7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $213 in Araras. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Araras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $177 – making Araras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇷 Araras

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

2 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

130,866

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Araras 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Araras

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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Araras, 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 $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,247 in Araras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Araras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $414 in Araras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $831 in Araras. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $831 in Araras to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.