Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beirut and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,657 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
Learn more

Beirut Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,657

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,657 in Beirut versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Beirut $1,657
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in Beirut versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Beirut $2,643
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,628 in Beirut versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Beirut $3,628
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Beirut is roughly 38% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Beirut is 22% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 LBP 1.1M

$10.92 MX$204

11.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

$43.37 MX$808

57.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 LBP 882.6K

$11.78 MX$220

-16.30%

Cappuccino

$4.46 LBP 399.2K

$3.81 MX$71.0

17.06%

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

$2.34 LBP 209.6K

$1.28 MX$23.90

82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 LBP 80.9K

$0.78 MX$14.59

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

$3.17 MX$59.0

60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

$4.93 MX$92.0

-0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 LBP 180.5K

$1.41 MX$26.22

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

$2.22 MX$41.33

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

$1.42 MX$26.42

54.93%

Eggs

$3.61 LBP 323.5K

$2.52 MX$47.03

43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 LBP 973.3K

$7.26 MX$135

49.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 LBP 947.2K

$7.70 MX$143

37.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 LBP 1.4M

$12.69 MX$237

19.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 LBP 277.0K

$2.78 MX$51.9

11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

$1.37 MX$25.50

21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

$2.55 MX$47.55

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

$2.12 MX$39.58

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

$1.94 MX$36.13

-35.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 137.3K

$1.89 MX$35.16

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

$1.15 MX$21.37

0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

$1.18 MX$21.98

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

$4.30 MX$80.1

-31.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 LBP 988.5K

$9.95 MX$185

10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

$1.58 MX$29.52

-16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 LBP 233.0K

$2.67 MX$49.79

-2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

$0.55 MX$10.31

178.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 LBP 6.7M

$26.62 MX$496

183.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 LBP 451.2K

$4.97 MX$92.6

1.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

$3.33 MX$62.1

-31.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

$5.36 MX$99.8

320.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.2K

$1.44 MX$26.92

-27.78%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$20.7K MX$385.2K

158.12%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

$23.5K MX$437.4K

41.75%

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

$210 LBP 18.8M

$84.8 MX$1,581

147.33%

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

$23.80 LBP 2.1M

$23.41 MX$436

1.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.87 LBP 3.4M

$28.66 MX$534

32.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 LBP 8.6M

$57.1 MX$1,063

68.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.37 LBP 3.0M

$28.91 MX$539

15.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 LBP 909.0K

$5.14 MX$95.8

97.67%

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

$677 LBP 60.6M

$207 MX$3,851

227.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

167.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

$43.35 MX$808

53.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.92 LBP 4.5M

$41.44 MX$772

20.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 LBP 12.7M

$74.2 MX$1,383

90.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 LBP 10.8M

$89.3 MX$1,664

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 LBP 84.7M

$980 MX$18.3K

-3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 LBP 44.3M

$381 MX$7,099

30.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 LBP 197.7M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 LBP 93.4M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-2.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 LBP 400.3M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

13.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 LBP 169.3M

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-69.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 LBP 63.6M

$735 MX$13.7K

-3.31%

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 Beirut: October 27, 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

Beirut

$495 29.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 23.1% $115

Groceries & Markets

Beirut

$277 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 8.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beirut

$271 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.6% $135

Eating Out

Beirut

$228 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Beirut

$170 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Beirut

$116 7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 42.1% $49

Getting Around

Beirut

$98 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 48.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $946 in Beirut and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Beirut vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Beirut

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

17:13 5:13 PM

7 h behind Beirut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,916,100 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beirut Playa del Carmen 11,430 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Beirut
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Beirut. 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: $946 in Beirut versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,657 per month in Beirut versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 65% less than in Beirut. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,657 in Beirut, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Beirut. 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.