Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baabda and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index
59

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

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Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baabda 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 Baabda and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Baabda $1,008
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Baabda versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Baabda $1,611
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Baabda versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Baabda $2,213
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Baabda costs roughly 17% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baabda 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

$10.76 MX$199

11.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

$43.03 MX$795

58.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$11.79 MX$218

-14.50%

Cappuccino

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

$3.87 MX$71.4

18.86%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

$1.37 MX$25.29

75.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

$0.84 MX$15.44

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

$3.10 MX$57.3

58.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

$5.07 MX$93.6

-5.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

$1.44 MX$26.55

36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

$2.23 MX$41.23

-59.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

$1.47 MX$27.17

59.18%

Eggs

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

$2.53 MX$46.71

45.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

$7.30 MX$135

50.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

$7.86 MX$145

33.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

$12.79 MX$236

17.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

$2.90 MX$53.6

4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

$1.44 MX$26.53

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

$2.55 MX$47.07

-33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

$2.06 MX$38.03

-26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

$2.00 MX$36.97

-37.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

$2.01 MX$37.07

-20.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

$1.19 MX$22.02

0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

$1.26 MX$23.23

-42.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

$4.40 MX$81.4

-31.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

$9.59 MX$177

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

$1.59 MX$29.41

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

$2.81 MX$51.9

-11.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

$4.98 MX$92.1

-1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

$3.50 MX$64.6

-34.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

$5.40 MX$99.8

312.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

$1.47 MX$27.08

-28.57%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$21.0K MX$387.8K

153.78%

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

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

$23.9K MX$441.8K

36.60%

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

$236 LBP 21.2M

$84.2 MX$1,556

180.75%

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

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

$23.99 MX$443

-6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

$29.02 MX$536

30.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$4.94 MX$91.3

104.05%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$204 MX$3,763

236.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

169.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

$43.60 MX$806

57.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

$43.12 MX$797

16.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$75.8 MX$1,400

83.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 LBP 10.6M

$88.6 MX$1,637

33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-3.93%

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

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baabda

$297 29.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 53.7% $159

Groceries & Markets

Baabda

$277 27.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.8% $19

Eating Out

Baabda

$228 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 11.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Baabda

$169 16.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 33.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Baabda

$20 * 2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 262% $53

Getting Around

Baabda

$16 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 220% $36

Accommodation & Living

Baabda

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Baabda vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Baabda

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

8 h behind Baabda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baabda Playa del Carmen 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Baabda
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

Baabda vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baabda and Playa del Carmen differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,210 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,512 in Baabda and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen 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.

Childcare runs $686 in Baabda versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda 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 Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.