Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Marsa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in La Marsa: $766 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in La Marsa
Learn more

La Marsa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

La Marsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$766

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $766 per month in La Marsa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Marsa $766
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,280 per month in La Marsa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Marsa $1,280
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,794 per month in La Marsa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Marsa $1,794
Playa del Carmen $2,959

La Marsa is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both La Marsa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – La Marsa 44% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 TND 10.22

$10.92 MX$205

-68.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.63 TND 59.0

$43.37 MX$814

-54.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 TND 15.56

$11.78 MX$221

-56.03%

Cappuccino

$1.25 TND 3.76

$3.81 MX$71.5

-67.19%

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

$0.59 TND 1.77

$1.28 MX$24.07

-53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 TND 0.85

$0.78 MX$14.70

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 TND 4.39

$3.17 MX$59.5

-53.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 TND 5.85

$4.93 MX$92.7

-60.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 TND 1.48

$1.41 MX$26.40

-65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$2.22 MX$41.62

-86.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 TND 6.70

$1.42 MX$26.61

57.04%

Eggs

$1.77 TND 5.32

$2.52 MX$47.36

-29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 TND 29.73

$7.26 MX$136

36.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 TND 19.89

$7.70 MX$144

-14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 TND 39.11

$12.69 MX$238

2.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 TND 5.85

$2.78 MX$52.3

-29.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 TND 10.83

$1.37 MX$25.68

162.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 TND 4.28

$2.55 MX$47.89

-43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 TND 2.01

$2.12 MX$39.86

-68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 TND 1.76

$1.94 MX$36.39

-70.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 TND 2.00

$1.89 MX$35.41

-64.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 TND 1.31

$1.15 MX$21.53

-62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 TND 0.83

$1.18 MX$22.13

-76.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 TND 10.69

$4.30 MX$80.6

-17.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 TND 19.54

$9.95 MX$187

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 TND 3.76

$1.58 MX$29.73

-20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 TND 4.78

$2.67 MX$50.1

-40.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.55 MX$10.39

-41.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.22 TND 21.68

$26.62 MX$500

-72.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$4.97 MX$93.3

-93.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 TND 1.38

$3.33 MX$62.5

-86.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 TND 11.69

$5.36 MX$101

-27.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$1.44 MX$27.11

-40.28%

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

$40.0K TND 120.1K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

93.46%

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

$37.0K TND 111.1K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

57.65%

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

$33.34 TND 100

$84.8 MX$1,592

-60.68%

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

$12.23 TND 36.74

$23.41 MX$439

-47.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.21 TND 54.7

$28.66 MX$538

-36.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.01 TND 126

$57.1 MX$1,071

-26.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 TND 21.44

$28.91 MX$543

-75.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 TND 15.92

$5.14 MX$96.5

3.11%

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

$57.5 TND 173

$207 MX$3,878

-72.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,532 TND 7,606

$3,927 MX$73.7K

-35.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 TND 191

$43.35 MX$814

46.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 TND 212

$41.44 MX$778

70.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 TND 266

$74.2 MX$1,393

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.2 TND 274

$89.3 MX$1,676

2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 TND 865

$980 MX$18.4K

-70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 TND 687

$381 MX$7,150

-40.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 TND 2,134

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 TND 1,693

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-47.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,658 TND 4,980

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-57.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,162 TND 3,491

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-81.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 TND 1,001

$735 MX$13.8K

-54.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

22.27%

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

Last update for La Marsa: 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

La Marsa

$229 29.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 66.7% $152

Groceries & Markets

La Marsa

$197 25.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

La Marsa

$141 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 20.9% $30

Eating Out

La Marsa

$72 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 179% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Marsa

$64 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 115% $73

Sport & Entertainment

La Marsa

$53 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 28% $15

Getting Around

La Marsa

$11 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 355% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in La Marsa 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in La Marsa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $255 – making La Marsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 La Marsa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

6 h behind La Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,987

149,923

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Marsa Playa del Carmen 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

La Marsa
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,150 per month in La Marsa 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 La Marsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $766 in La Marsa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes La Marsa about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in La Marsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Marsa, where all-in costs run around $766, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In La Marsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Marsa costs $766 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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