Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
Learn more

Arusha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $552 in Arusha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Arusha $552

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $887 in Arusha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Arusha $887

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,222 in Arusha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Arusha $1,222

Playa del Carmen costs about 118% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Arusha are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Arusha 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.33 TZS 8,723

226.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

65.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

27.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.66 TZS 4,356

121.69%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.87 TZS 2,284

54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.32 TZS 842

156.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.02 TZS 2,659

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.81 TZS 7,351

75.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.98 TZS 2,578

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.68 TZS 1,773

226.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.66 TZS 4,344

-10.84%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.74 TZS 4,552

43.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.32 TZS 6,066

19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.78 TZS 2,039

174.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.49 TZS 1,284

312.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.07 TZS 2,795

85.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.78 TZS 2,046

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.50 TZS 3,927

184.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.98 TZS 2,563

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$0.91 TZS 2,387

192.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.19 TZS 496

178.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

-28.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.31 TZS 3,441

10.69%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

205.51%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

172.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

-38.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

-4.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

8.51%

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

$201 MX$3,715

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

-47.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$278 TZS 727.8K

252.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$239 TZS 626.7K

55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$494 TZS 1.3M

240.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$524 TZS 1.4M

109.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Arusha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Arusha

$239 43.3% 35.8% $133

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Arusha

$65 * 11.8% 74.7% $193

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Arusha

$90 16.2% 55.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Arusha

$83 15% 39.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Arusha

$75 13.5% 3% $2.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 98.5% $51

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 $278 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $65.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

617,631

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Arusha 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $552 in Arusha – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $829 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $552 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. 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.