Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,311 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,311 in Oranjestad.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Oranjestad $2,311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,184 in Oranjestad.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Oranjestad $4,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,058 in Oranjestad.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Oranjestad $6,058

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 48% less than in Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Oranjestad is 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$22.12 AWG 39.59

-51.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$79.1 AWG 142

-44.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$10.43 AWG 18.67

13.04%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$4.43 AWG 7.93

-14.45%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$1.46 AWG 2.62

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$1.59 AWG 2.85

-47.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$3.02 AWG 5.40

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.98 AWG 7.12

23.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$1.87 AWG 3.35

-24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$2.95 AWG 5.27

-25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$2.81 AWG 5.03

-47.69%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$5.21 AWG 9.33

-52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$12.51 AWG 22.40

-41.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$9.36 AWG 16.76

-15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$12.21 AWG 21.85

5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$4.59 AWG 8.22

-36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.30 AWG 4.12

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$5.02 AWG 8.98

-50.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$3.47 AWG 6.21

-41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$2.17 AWG 3.89

-6.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.05 AWG 3.66

-7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.56 AWG 4.59

-55.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.53 AWG 2.75

-18.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$10.07 AWG 18.02

-57.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$10.11 AWG 18.09

-2.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$4.07 AWG 7.29

-60.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$4.35 AWG 7.79

-36.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$2.24 AWG 4.00

-77.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$29.50 AWG 52.8

-7.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$17.04 AWG 30.49

-72.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$3.97 AWG 7.10

-18.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$25.04 AWG 44.81

-78.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$1.96 AWG 3.51

-21.94%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$25.6K AWG 45.8K

-17.09%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$34.8K AWG 62.2K

-33.09%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$254 AWG 455

-67.17%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$48.18 AWG 86.2

-51.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$104 AWG 185

-73.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$63.0 AWG 113

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$25.68 AWG 45.96

9.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$12.05 AWG 21.57

-58.51%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$254 AWG 455

-18.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$8,669 AWG 15.5K

-39.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$59.2 AWG 106

-26.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$51.2 AWG 91.6

-16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$109 AWG 195

-33.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$104 AWG 186

-14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$930 AWG 1,664

6.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$936 AWG 1,676

-59.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$2,711 AWG 4,852

-38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$3,082 AWG 5,515

-64.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$2,276 AWG 4,073

71.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$1,699 AWG 3,041

261.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$1,715 AWG 3,069

-51.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.25

83.20%

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 Oranjestad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Oranjestad

$936 40.5% 145% $554

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Oranjestad

$364 15.8% 41.4% $107

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Oranjestad

$297 12.8% 48.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Oranjestad

$406 17.6% 202% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Oranjestad

$146 6.3% 30.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Oranjestad

$87 3.8% 31.1% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Oranjestad

$75 3.3% 49.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $930 in Oranjestad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oranjestad pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $79 in Oranjestad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $364 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Oranjestad 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Oranjestad

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 Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,311 in Oranjestad, so Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $930 in Oranjestad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 7% less than in Oranjestad. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $254 in Oranjestad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,311 in Oranjestad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oranjestad. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Oranjestad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.