Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahdia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index
59

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

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Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Mahdia vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mahdia $557
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $881 per month in Mahdia vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mahdia $881
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Mahdia vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mahdia $1,206
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Mahdia is about 54% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mahdia and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Mahdia 59% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 TND 7.44

$10.76 MX$199

-76.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.01 TND 59.9

$43.03 MX$795

-53.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 TND 14.49

$11.79 MX$218

-58.95%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.89

$3.87 MX$71.4

-75.19%

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

$0.57 TND 1.72

$1.37 MX$25.29

-58.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 TND 0.56

$0.84 MX$15.44

-77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 TND 3.07

$3.10 MX$57.3

-66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 TND 4.52

$5.07 MX$93.6

-70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.43 TND 1.30

$1.44 MX$26.55

-70.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$2.23 MX$41.23

-88.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 TND 4.13

$1.47 MX$27.17

-6.12%

Eggs

$1.53 TND 4.58

$2.53 MX$46.71

-39.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 TND 35.19

$7.30 MX$135

60.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 TND 14.87

$7.86 MX$145

-36.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 TND 43.29

$12.79 MX$236

13.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.56

$2.90 MX$53.6

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.55

$1.44 MX$26.53

98.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 TND 4.32

$2.55 MX$47.07

-43.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 TND 2.15

$2.06 MX$38.03

-65.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$2.00 MX$36.97

-67.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$2.01 MX$37.07

-83.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 TND 1.29

$1.19 MX$22.02

-63.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$1.26 MX$23.23

-75.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 TND 10.56

$4.40 MX$81.4

-19.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.35 TND 10.04

$9.59 MX$177

-65.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 TND 4.88

$1.59 MX$29.41

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 TND 3.75

$2.81 MX$51.9

-55.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.57 MX$10.47

-43.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.33 TND 39.92

$27.82 MX$514

-52.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$4.98 MX$92.1

-93.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 TND 0.77

$3.50 MX$64.6

-92.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 TND 2.64

$1.47 MX$27.08

-40.14%

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

$40.9K TND 122.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

94.82%

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

$40.1K TND 120.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

67.64%

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

$56.3 TND 169

$84.2 MX$1,556

-33.11%

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

$7.15 TND 21.41

$23.99 MX$443

-70.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 TND 60.2

$29.02 MX$536

-30.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.52 TND 61.5

$63.0 MX$1,164

-67.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 TND 23.03

$29.14 MX$539

-73.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 TND 20.36

$4.94 MX$91.3

37.65%

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

$109 TND 326

$204 MX$3,763

-46.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$985 TND 2,951

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-75.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.98 TND 114

$43.60 MX$806

-12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 TND 98.2

$43.12 MX$797

-23.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 TND 230

$75.8 MX$1,400

1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.51 TND 70.4

$88.6 MX$1,637

-73.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 TND 390

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-87.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TND 301

$374 MX$6,911

-73.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 TND 875

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 TND 523

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-84.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 TND 2,022

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-82.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$201 TND 602

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-96.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$232 TND 695

$754 MX$13.9K

-69.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

11.45

-9.78%

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

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 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

Mahdia

$188 33.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 37.3% $70

Accommodation & Living

Mahdia

$100 18%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 273% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahdia

$84 15%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 64.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mahdia

$77 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 46.7% $36

Eating Out

Mahdia

$57 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 254% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Mahdia

$34 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 114% $39

Getting Around

Mahdia

$16 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 224% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Mahdia 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 225% 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 Mahdia versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $258 – making Mahdia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

6 h behind Mahdia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,545

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Mahdia Playa del Carmen 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahdia
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Mahdia 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 Mahdia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Mahdia and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahdia, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Mahdia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahdia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Mahdia. 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.