Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arta

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,348 in Arta, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Arta
Learn more

Arta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Arta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,348 in Arta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Arta $1,348

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,005 in Arta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Arta $2,005

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,661 in Arta, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Arta $2,661

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Arta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$11.28 €10.06

-5.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$44.11 €39.35

-0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$9.98 €8.90

18.14%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$4.22 €3.76

-10.19%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$2.87 €2.56

-54.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.54 €0.48

53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$5.17 €4.61

-39.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$6.02 €5.37

-18.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.24 €1.11

13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.15 €1.03

91.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$0.92 €0.82

59.78%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$3.39 €3.02

-26.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$13.68 €12.20

-46.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$11.05 €9.86

-28.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.96 €9.78

17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.00 €0.89

190.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.27 €1.13

8.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.20 €1.07

107.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$0.99 €0.89

105.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.22 €1.09

65.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.09 €0.97

74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.82 €0.73

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.15 €0.14

726.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.99 €4.45

-14.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$4.42 €3.94

121.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$0.85 €0.76

87.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.25 €2.01

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.41 €1.25

-63.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$49.30 €43.98

-44.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$4.30 €3.84

10.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.10 €0.98

195.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$16.57 €14.78

-67.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.10 €1.87

-27.14%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$28.2K €25.1K

-24.76%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$28.1K €25.1K

-17.35%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$211 €188

-60.44%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$23.45 €20.92

-1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$24.99 €22.29

10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$52.1 €46.50

8.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$25.62 €22.85

10.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$10.60 €9.46

-52.83%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$467 €416

-55.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$9,041 €8,064

-42.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$89.3 €79.7

-51.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$28.26 €25.21

50.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$77.7 €69.3

-6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$89.5 €79.8

-1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$494 €441

101.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$379 €338

0.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$746 €666

124.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$599 €534

80.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$2,477 €2,210

57.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,969 €1,756

211.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$895 €798

-6.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.34

114.42%

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 Arta: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Arta

$379 28.1% 0.9% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Arta

$221 16.4% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Arta

$222 16.5% 11% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Arta

$259 19.2% 93.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Arta

$128 9.5% 15.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Arta

$73 5.4% 10.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Arta

$65 4.8% 28.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $494 in Arta. 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 7% higher in Arta, 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Arta. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $221 in Arta – so Arta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇬🇷 Arta

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

04:28 4:28 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,435

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Arta 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arta

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 Arta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Arta is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,022 in Arta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $494 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Arta – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,348 in Arta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,348 in Arta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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