Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sint Nicolaas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint Nicolaas: $136 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Other living expenses 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

Sint Nicolaas

🇦🇼 Aruba

$136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sint Nicolaas

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $136 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sint Nicolaas $136

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $332 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sint Nicolaas $332

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $527 in Sint Nicolaas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sint Nicolaas $527

Playa del Carmen costs about 787% more than Sint Nicolaas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sint Nicolaas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sint Nicolaas 90% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$16.40 AWG 29.34

-33.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$45.10 AWG 80.7

-3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.14 AWG 2.03

-31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

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

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

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

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-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

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 Sint Nicolaas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sint Nicolaas

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $45 in Sint Nicolaas. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇦🇼 Sint Nicolaas

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

18,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sint Nicolaas 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sint Nicolaas

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 Sint Nicolaas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 787%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $204 in Sint Nicolaas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $136 in Sint Nicolaas. That makes Sint Nicolaas about 89% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $45 in Sint Nicolaas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sint Nicolaas, where all-in costs run around $136, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sint Nicolaas 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 $136 in Sint Nicolaas to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.