Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arequipa Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arequipa

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 62.5% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 97.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 44.2% more expensive than Arequipa without rent, and 102.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$4.26 PEN 14.63
172.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$739
$28.24 PEN 96.9
51.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$5.70 PEN 19.56
85.96%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.49 PEN 8.55
44.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$0.81 PEN 2.78
79.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.52
$0.37 PEN 1.26
143.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.21 PEN 7.57
37.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$5.94 PEN 20.37
-23.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.10
$1.53 PEN 5.26
-5.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.59
$1.22 PEN 4.19
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.80
$1.26 PEN 4.33
27.78%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.87
$2.16 PEN 7.42
17.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$5.58 PEN 19.14
53.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$5.29 PEN 18.13
60.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$7.57 PEN 25.96
43.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.18
$1.45 PEN 4.98
88.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.80
$1.17 PEN 4.01
27.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.59
$1.18 PEN 4.04
64.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.42
$0.75 PEN 2.59
188.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.92
$0.59 PEN 2.01
213.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.84
$0.54 PEN 1.85
305.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$0.44 PEN 1.50
143.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.73
$0.73 PEN 2.50
47.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.2
$4.94 PEN 16.95
-17.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$5.06 PEN 17.35
106.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.59
$2.42 PEN 8.29
-31.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.06
$2.31 PEN 7.94
10.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.61
$0.27 PEN 0.91
107.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.3
$2.12 PEN 7.28
48.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.00
$2.12 PEN 7.28
11.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$12.88 PEN 44.18
-74.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.72
$1.55 PEN 5.31
-15.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$528.0K
$18.9K PEN 64.9K
61.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.9K
$25.1K PEN 86.1K
-5.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,438
$40.21 PEN 138
106.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$10.71 PEN 36.75
106.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$508
$30.34 PEN 104
-3.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$885
$21.65 PEN 74.3
136.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$8.56 PEN 29.37
118.34%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.5
$4.52 PEN 15.52
8.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,435
$60.6 PEN 208
227.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.0K
$6,415 PEN 22.0K
-18.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$36.93 PEN 127
-2.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$681
$22.20 PEN 76.1
77.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,388
$63.7 PEN 219
26.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,514
$54.7 PEN 188
60.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$237 PEN 812
306.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,336
$156 PEN 536
208.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$542 PEN 1,859
203.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$391 PEN 1,342
204.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.4K
$2,004 PEN 6,874
97.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.6K
$997 PEN 3,420
553.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Arequipa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$649 PEN 2,226
11.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
15
-23.87%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities