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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 34.1% cheaper than Ariel without rent, and 36.1% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 34.8% cheaper than Ariel without rent, and 22.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$22.06 โ‚ช65.7
-47.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$85.3 โ‚ช254
-49.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$16.87 โ‚ช50.3
-37.17%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$3.31 โ‚ช9.85
8.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$1.86 โ‚ช5.56
-22.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$1.28 โ‚ช3.82
-29.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$7.71 โ‚ช22.97
-60.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$6.95 โ‚ช20.70
-34.39%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.87 โ‚ช5.58
-22.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$2.12 โ‚ช6.32
-13.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$2.91 โ‚ช8.68
-44.67%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$3.72 โ‚ช11.09
-31.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$20.86 โ‚ช62.2
-59.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$10.90 โ‚ช32.47
-22.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$9.62 โ‚ช28.67
12.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$3.33 โ‚ช9.94
-18.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$2.41 โ‚ช7.18
-38.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.29 โ‚ช6.82
-15.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$2.61 โ‚ช7.77
-17.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$2.15 โ‚ช6.41
-13.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.65 โ‚ช4.91
32.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$2.09 โ‚ช6.23
-48.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$1.11 โ‚ช3.30
-2.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$9.69 โ‚ช28.88
-58.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$11.41 โ‚ช34.01
-8.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.87 โ‚ช8.55
-42.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.18 โ‚ช9.47
-19.81%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$1.51 โ‚ช4.51
-62.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$64.3 โ‚ช192
-59.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$4.05 โ‚ช12.07
-22.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.10 โ‚ช3.28
115.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$41.80 โ‚ช125
-92.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$2.07 โ‚ช6.18
-36.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$39.7K โ‚ช118.4K
-23.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$46.7K โ‚ช139.3K
-49.04%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$218 โ‚ช648
-61.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$5.55 โ‚ช16.53
299.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$28.07 โ‚ช83.6
4.63%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$55.5 โ‚ช165
-7.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$18.28 โ‚ช54.5
2.24%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$12.67 โ‚ช37.75
-61.40%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$1,151 โ‚ช3,429
-82.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$18.5K โ‚ช55.0K
-71.80%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$91.6 โ‚ช273
-60.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$61.4 โ‚ช183
-35.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$132 โ‚ช394
-39.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$170 โ‚ช505
-48.37%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$762 โ‚ช2,270
26.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$655 โ‚ช1,951
-26.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,258 โ‚ช3,748
30.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$1,063 โ‚ช3,167
12.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$8,233 โ‚ช24.5K
-51.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$4,842 โ‚ช14.4K
34.52%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ariel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$3,254 โ‚ช9,696
-77.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
3.89
193.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Ariel: 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

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