Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Arequipa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Arequipa $1,524

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.46 PEN 11.87

213.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$27.89 PEN 95.8

58.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.93 PEN 20.37

98.31%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.42 PEN 8.31

52.07%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.81 PEN 2.78

65.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.39 PEN 1.33

110.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.09 PEN 7.16

46.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.27 PEN 14.68

15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.34 PEN 4.61

9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.36 PEN 4.66

63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.45 PEN 4.99

2.07%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.29 PEN 7.85

8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.25 PEN 21.47

20.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.59 PEN 15.75

73.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.33 PEN 25.16

71.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.76 PEN 6.03

57.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.18 PEN 4.05

21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.13 PEN 3.88

131.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.99 PEN 3.41

116.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.67 PEN 2.29

201.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.67 PEN 2.31

197.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.56 PEN 1.91

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.76 PEN 2.60

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.13 PEN 17.62

-16.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.18 PEN 17.80

93.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-42.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.30 PEN 7.90

15.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.28 PEN 0.95

89.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.02 PEN 6.92

142.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.01 PEN 6.92

70.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$13.01 PEN 44.68

-58.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.54 PEN 5.28

-5.84%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

11.79%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

-8.43%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$23.36 PEN 80.2

265.41%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.26 PEN 35.24

128.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$23.44 PEN 80.5

21.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.08 PEN 86.1

147.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$8.00 PEN 27.47

258.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.35 PEN 25.24

-30.61%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$75.3 PEN 258

167.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

-40.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$47.74 PEN 164

-7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$26.42 PEN 90.7

56.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$67.6 PEN 232

7.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$57.5 PEN 198

55.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$347 PEN 1,192

182.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$237 PEN 813

57.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$719 PEN 2,471

133.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$419 PEN 1,439

161.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,963 PEN 6,740

101.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$989 PEN 3,397

520.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$619 PEN 2,125

19.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-23.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 36.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 32.7% $84

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 50.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 58.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 19.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 45.1% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 74.5% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $347 in Arequipa. 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 19% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,062

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Arequipa 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Arequipa, 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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