Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Noord

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,559 in Noord, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Noord

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,559 in Noord, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Noord $2,559

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,101 in Noord, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Noord $4,101

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,644 in Noord, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Noord $5,644

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper than Noord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Noord is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$25.43 AWG 45.50

-57.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$96.3 AWG 172

-54.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$15.14 AWG 27.09

-22.19%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.98 AWG 5.34

27.85%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.45 AWG 4.39

-47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.71 AWG 3.06

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$7.60 AWG 13.59

-58.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.41 AWG 15.05

-41.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.91 AWG 3.42

-26.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$2.93 AWG 5.24

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.80 AWG 5.01

-49.29%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$6.28 AWG 11.24

-59.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$12.60 AWG 22.55

-42.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.38 AWG 16.79

-17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$12.10 AWG 21.66

4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.64 AWG 8.31

-40.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.29 AWG 4.10

-40.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$4.93 AWG 8.82

-48.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.45 AWG 6.17

-38.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.22 AWG 3.97

-12.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.99 AWG 3.55

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.67 AWG 4.78

-56.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.51 AWG 2.70

-21.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.11 AWG 18.10

-57.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.97 AWG 17.84

-0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$5.76 AWG 10.31

-72.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$4.50 AWG 8.05

-40.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.87 AWG 5.13

-49.83%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$198 AWG 354

-57.10%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$69.3 AWG 124

-66.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$99.1 AWG 177

-71.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,473 AWG 2,636

-33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,460 AWG 2,612

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$3,136 AWG 5,611

-45.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$3,146 AWG 5,630

-65.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Noord: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Noord

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Noord

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Noord

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Noord

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Noord

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Noord

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Noord

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,473 in Noord. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $96 in Noord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $377 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇼 Noord

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,193

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 AWG (1 AWG = 0.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Noord 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Noord

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 Noord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noord costs about 112% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,838 in Noord. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,473 in Noord.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,559 in Noord. That makes Playa del Carmen about 53% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Noord, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Noord at $2,559. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noord 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $2,559 in Noord. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.