Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arima

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Arima: $1,210 and $1,268 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Arima
Learn more

Arima Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Arima

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,268 in Arima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Arima $1,268

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,161 in Arima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Arima $2,161

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,054 in Arima, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Arima $3,054

Playa del Carmen is about 5% cheaper than Arima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Arima are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Arima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$10.50 TTD 70.7

2.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$72.5 TTD 488

-40.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$8.77 TTD 59.0

34.44%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.68 TTD 24.73

5.16%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.04 TTD 7.02

31.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.77 TTD 5.17

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.81 TTD 12.19

71.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.92 TTD 19.66

73.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.38 TTD 16.03

-39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.48 TTD 16.66

-10.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.91 TTD 19.60

-49.48%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$4.40 TTD 29.61

-42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.58 TTD 44.27

10.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$6.67 TTD 44.89

17.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.71 TTD 58.6

46.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$5.39 TTD 36.23

-46.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.29 TTD 15.41

-37.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.78 TTD 25.39

-32.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.94 TTD 33.23

-58.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.32 TTD 8.91

51.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.00 TTD 6.73

101.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.34 TTD 9.04

-11.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.95 TTD 6.38

32.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.82 TTD 32.42

-8.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$18.96 TTD 128

-49.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.91 TTD 12.84

-16.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.95 TTD 19.85

-4.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.05 TTD 7.09

-45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.73 TTD 4.90

582.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.72 TTD 4.85

386.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$14.69 TTD 98.8

-63.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.15 TTD 7.76

27.83%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$26.9K TTD 180.7K

-21.88%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$35.5K TTD 238.7K

-32.64%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$89.5 TTD 602

-5.88%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$44.08 TTD 297

-45.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$57.4 TTD 386

-49.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$51.3 TTD 345

22.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$8.93 TTD 60.1

-44.68%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$178 TTD 1,197

14.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$10.7K TTD 72.3K

-63.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$61.5 TTD 414

-29.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$44.60 TTD 300

-3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$145 TTD 975

-47.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$74.0 TTD 498

19.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$508 TTD 3,415

98.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$363 TTD 2,439

3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,049 TTD 7,055

62.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$902 TTD 6,066

22.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,222 TTD 8,219

-38.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.75

99.13%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Arima

$363 28.6% 3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Arima

$314 24.7% 21.4% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Arima

$177 13.9% 12.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Arima

$191 15.1% 39.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Arima

$146 11.5% 29.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Arima

$69 5.5% 5.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Arima

$8.6 * 0.7% 83.7% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $508 in Arima. 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 62% higher in Arima, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $73.0 in Arima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $314 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇹 Arima

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

35,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Arima 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arima

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 Arima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arima costs about 5% more than Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,902 in Arima. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,268 in Arima. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $178 in Arima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Arima at $1,268. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,268 in Arima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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