Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,189 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
Learn more

Arviat Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,189 in Arviat.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Arviat $2,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,243 in Arviat.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Arviat $3,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,297 in Arviat.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Arviat $4,297

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Arviat is 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$17.53 CA$24.51

-37.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$63.3 CA$88.6

-31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.86 CA$15.19

8.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.76 CA$5.26

1.33%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$2.00 CA$2.80

-36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$1.67 CA$2.34

-53.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$5.10 CA$7.13

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$5.72 CA$8.00

-13.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.12 CA$2.96

-33.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.59 CA$3.62

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$3.67 CA$5.14

-61.31%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.55 CA$4.96

-29.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.78 CA$13.68

-25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.52 CA$14.72

-26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$14.80 CA$20.70

-14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.43 CA$4.80

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.20 CA$1.67

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.89 CA$5.45

-34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.27 CA$5.97

-50.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$2.16 CA$3.02

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.54 CA$3.56

-25.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.10 CA$2.94

-45.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.62 CA$2.27

-27.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$14.07 CA$19.68

-69.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.34 CA$15.87

-12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.69 CA$3.77

-41.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.12 CA$4.36

-14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$2.24 CA$3.13

-75.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$60.6 CA$84.8

-56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.89 CA$4.05

71.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.43 CA$2.00

132.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$25.36 CA$35.47

-78.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.18 CA$1.65

22.03%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$24.0K CA$33.5K

-13.75%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$21.8K CA$30.5K

7.66%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$142 CA$198

-40.17%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$35.93 CA$50.3

-34.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$51.8 CA$72.4

-44.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$33.89 CA$47.40

68.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$16.43 CA$22.98

75.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$10.08 CA$14.09

-49.01%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$681 CA$953

-69.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.6K CA$17.6K

-68.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$63.1 CA$88.3

-31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$39.95 CA$55.9

3.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$98.3 CA$137

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$112 CA$157

-20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,187 CA$1,660

-17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,070 CA$1,497

-64.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,854 CA$2,594

-7.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,776 CA$2,484

-39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$4,712 CA$6,591

-16.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$3,477 CA$4,863

77.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.68

144.66%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Arviat

$1.1K 48.9% 181% $689

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Arviat

$345 15.8% 35.5% $91

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Arviat

$270 12.3% 33.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Arviat

$229 10.5% 67.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Arviat

$141 6.5% 26.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Arviat

$54 2.5% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Arviat

$80 3.6% 57.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,187 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $63 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $345 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

Same time as Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Arviat 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arviat

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 Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,189 in Arviat, so Playa del Carmen is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $3,283 in Arviat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,187 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $681 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,189 in Arviat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Arviat. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.