Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $424 per month in Benghazi vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benghazi $424
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $713 per month in Benghazi vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benghazi $713
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Benghazi vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Benghazi $1,003
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Benghazi is about 65% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Benghazi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Benghazi 69% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 LYD 15.84

$10.86 MX$201

-77.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.64 LYD 81.0

$44.21 MX$817

-71.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.39 LYD 15.34

$11.76 MX$217

-79.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LYD 13.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LYD 2.60

Cappuccino

$0.66 LYD 4.21

$3.68 MX$68.0

-82.07%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.75

$1.34 MX$24.79

-67.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 LYD 0.91

$0.82 MX$15.24

-82.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.85

$1.47 MX$27.17

-48.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 LYD 0.93

$2.22 MX$40.95

-93.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 LYD 8.72

$1.48 MX$27.32

-8.11%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.55

$2.49 MX$45.99

-33.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 LYD 40.17

$7.52 MX$139

-16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 LYD 17.77

$7.96 MX$147

-65.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 LYD 73.5

$12.57 MX$232

-8.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$2.78 MX$51.3

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 LYD 11.74

$1.43 MX$26.37

27.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 LYD 7.42

$2.62 MX$48.37

-55.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$2.14 MX$39.49

-67.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 LYD 5.24

$2.02 MX$37.38

-59.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 LYD 4.09

$1.99 MX$36.74

-67.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LYD 2.38

$1.14 MX$21.01

-67.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$1.20 MX$22.18

-80.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.33 LYD 14.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 LYD 3.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 LYD 4.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 LYD 12.12

$4.26 MX$78.7

-55.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 LYD 10.21

$4.90 MX$90.6

-67.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$3.43 MX$63.5

-90.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.45 MX$26.76

-98.62%

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

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-40.56%

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

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-36.09%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

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

$4.45 LYD 28.50

$23.46 MX$434

-81.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 LYD 120

$28.43 MX$525

-34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 LYD 111

$62.2 MX$1,149

-72.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.82 LYD 24.46

$28.68 MX$530

-86.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 LYD 40.94

$5.10 MX$94.3

25.29%

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

$76.7 LYD 492

$201 MX$3,715

-61.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$352 LYD 2,258

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-91.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.16 LYD 270

$44.39 MX$820

-5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 LYD 224

$41.35 MX$764

-15.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.12 LYD 270

$72.7 MX$1,344

-42.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 LYD 438

$89.6 MX$1,656

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 LYD 1,220

$979 MX$18.1K

-80.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 LYD 762

$373 MX$6,887

-68.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 LYD 2,755

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 LYD 1,667

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-76.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 LYD 1,718

$738 MX$13.6K

-63.64%

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 Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 103% $131

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$119 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 213% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$84 19.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.2% $27

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 439% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 141% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 494% $114

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 1515% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $190 in Benghazi versus $979 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 175% 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 $13.00 in Benghazi versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $258 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

7 h behind Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

149,923

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Playa del Carmen 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $424 in Benghazi, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 184% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $636 per month in Benghazi 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 Benghazi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $424 in Benghazi and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 184%.

Kindergarten costs $76.7 per month in Benghazi and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Benghazi, where all-in costs run around $424, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Benghazi 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 $424 in Benghazi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Benghazi. 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.