Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springdale, AR and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,649 in Springdale, AR, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Springdale, AR
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Springdale, AR Living Index
58

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

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Springdale, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,649

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Springdale, AR and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Springdale, AR and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,649 per month in Springdale, AR vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springdale, AR $2,649
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,845 per month in Springdale, AR vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springdale, AR $3,845
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,041 per month in Springdale, AR vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Springdale, AR $5,041
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Springdale, AR costs about 120% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Springdale, AR sits 95% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.15 $19.15

$10.92 MX$206

75.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$43.37 MX$818

75.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$11.78 MX$222

-7.89%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.81 MX$71.9

36.48%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.28 MX$24.19

92.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.78 MX$14.77

153.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.17 MX$59.7

92.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$4.93 MX$93.1

43.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.41 MX$26.53

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.22 MX$41.82

58.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.42 MX$26.73

208.45%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.52 MX$47.59

65.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 $12.42

$7.26 MX$137

71.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$7.70 MX$145

45.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$12.69 MX$239

22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.78 MX$52.5

73.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.37 MX$25.81

19.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.55 MX$48.12

69.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.12 MX$40.05

126.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.94 MX$36.56

47.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.89 MX$35.58

48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.15 MX$21.63

77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.18 MX$22.24

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 $9.44

$4.30 MX$81.0

119.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$9.95 MX$188

43.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.58 MX$29.87

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.67 MX$50.4

28.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.55 MX$10.44

269.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 $55.3

$26.62 MX$502

107.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.97 MX$93.7

-27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$3.33 MX$62.8

-50.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.26 $29.26

$5.36 MX$101

445.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.44 MX$27.24

-37.50%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$20.7K MX$389.8K

43.76%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$442.6K

11.15%

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

$188 $188

$84.8 MX$1,599

121.37%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$23.41 MX$442

128.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$28.66 MX$541

137.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.89 $42.89

$57.1 MX$1,076

-24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 $13.41

$5.14 MX$96.9

160.89%

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

$1,273 $1,273

$207 MX$3,897

516.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$3,927 MX$74.1K

485.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$43.35 MX$818

16.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$41.44 MX$782

-3.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$74.2 MX$1,400

16.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$89.3 MX$1,684

25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$980 MX$18.5K

61.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 $1,368

$381 MX$7,184

259.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,602 $2,602

$1,708 MX$32.2K

52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,201 $2,201

$1,075 MX$20.3K

104.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 $2,799

$3,943 MX$74.4K

-29.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,415 $2,415

$6,158 MX$116.2K

-60.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.45

-43.14%

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

Last update for Springdale, AR: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springdale, AR

$1.4K 51.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72.2% $987

Groceries & Markets

Springdale, AR

$387 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34.1% $132

Eating Out

Springdale, AR

$311 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 34.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springdale, AR

$309 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 55.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Springdale, AR

$130 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.1% $18

Getting Around

Springdale, AR

$75 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 33% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Springdale, AR

$70 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,586 in Springdale, AR versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $76 in Springdale, AR versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Springdale, AR

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

Same time as Springdale, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,161

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Springdale, AR Playa del Carmen 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Springdale, AR
Playa del Carmen

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

Springdale, AR vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Springdale, AR is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,974 per month in Springdale, AR and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,586 in Springdale, AR.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,649 in Springdale, AR and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Springdale, AR at $2,649. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Springdale, AR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.