Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ben Arous and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index
59

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

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Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $698 per month in Ben Arous vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ben Arous $698
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,098 per month in Ben Arous vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,098
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,497 per month in Ben Arous vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ben Arous $1,497
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Ben Arous is about 42% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ben Arous and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ben Arous 48% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 TND 15.90

$10.76 MX$199

-50.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.81 TND 59.3

$43.03 MX$795

-53.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 TND 15.14

$11.79 MX$218

-57.08%

Cappuccino

$1.16 TND 3.48

$3.87 MX$71.4

-70.03%

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

$0.65 TND 1.95

$1.37 MX$25.29

-52.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$0.84 MX$15.44

-67.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.65 TND 4.95

$3.10 MX$57.3

-46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 TND 6.12

$5.07 MX$93.6

-59.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 TND 1.54

$1.44 MX$26.55

-63.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.10 TND 0.29

$2.23 MX$41.23

-95.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 TND 5.08

$1.47 MX$27.17

15.65%

Eggs

$1.48 TND 4.43

$2.53 MX$46.71

-41.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 TND 30.76

$7.30 MX$135

40.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 TND 17.70

$7.86 MX$145

-24.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 TND 51.5

$12.79 MX$236

34.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 TND 5.01

$2.90 MX$53.6

-42.41%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 TND 13.38

$1.44 MX$26.53

210.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 TND 2.84

$2.55 MX$47.07

-62.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 TND 2.41

$2.06 MX$38.03

-61.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 TND 2.69

$2.00 MX$36.97

-55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 TND 1.97

$2.01 MX$37.07

-67.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 TND 1.56

$1.19 MX$22.02

-56.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$1.26 MX$23.23

-75.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 TND 10.46

$4.40 MX$81.4

-20.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 TND 19.82

$9.59 MX$177

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 TND 2.99

$1.59 MX$29.41

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 TND 3.68

$2.81 MX$51.9

-56.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 TND 1.14

$0.57 MX$10.47

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.56 TND 40.61

$27.82 MX$514

-51.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$4.98 MX$92.1

-93.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.92

$3.50 MX$64.6

-91.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 TND 5.23

$5.40 MX$99.8

-67.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$1.47 MX$27.08

-41.50%

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

$39.9K TND 119.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

90.36%

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

$23.0K TND 69.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-3.60%

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

$53.9 TND 162

$84.2 MX$1,556

-35.96%

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

$9.87 TND 29.56

$23.99 MX$443

-58.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 TND 62.4

$29.02 MX$536

-28.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.08 TND 96.1

$63.0 MX$1,164

-49.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.52 TND 49.46

$29.14 MX$539

-43.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 TND 15.29

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.44%

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

$61.0 TND 183

$204 MX$3,763

-70.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,947 TND 5,830

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-50.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.31 TND 130

$43.60 MX$806

-0.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 TND 180

$43.12 MX$797

39.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 TND 257

$75.8 MX$1,400

13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.95 TND 141

$88.6 MX$1,637

-47.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 TND 626

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-79.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 TND 467

$374 MX$6,911

-58.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 TND 1,155

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 TND 799

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-75.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$933 TND 2,795

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-76.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$415 TND 1,243

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-93.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 TND 739

$754 MX$13.9K

-67.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.45

-8.30%

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

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ben Arous

$204 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 26.6% $54

Accommodation & Living

Ben Arous

$156 22.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 140% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Ben Arous

$106 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 6.3% $6.7

Eating Out

Ben Arous

$88 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 131% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ben Arous

$85 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 62.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Ben Arous

$42 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 72.3% $31

Getting Around

Ben Arous

$17 2.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 211% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Ben Arous versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 206% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Ben Arous versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $258 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

6 h behind Ben Arous

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,322

149,923

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ben Arous Playa del Carmen 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ben Arous
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $698 in Ben Arous, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,047 per month in Ben Arous and $1,816 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 Ben Arous, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Ben Arous and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $698 in Ben Arous and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ben Arous 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 $698 in Ben Arous to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ben Arous. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.