Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Al Bayda

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Bayda: $10.38 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Al Bayda

🇱🇾 Libya

$10.38

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Al Bayda

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Al Bayda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $10.38 in Al Bayda.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Al Bayda $10.38

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $16.02 in Al Bayda.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Al Bayda $16.02

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Al Bayda.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Al Bayda $22

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11484% more expensive than in Al Bayda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Al Bayda 99% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.60 LYD 10.24

-8.13%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$0.32 LYD 2.08

534.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.49 LYD 3.11

312.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.45 LYD 2.89

322.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$14.0K LYD 89.7K

66.09%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

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

$23.19 MX$431

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

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

$207 MX$3,854

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Bayda: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Al Bayda

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Al Bayda

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Al Bayda

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Al Bayda

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Al Bayda

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Al Bayda

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Al Bayda

–

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇾 Al Bayda

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

19:37 7:37 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

310,329

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.18 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Al Bayda 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Al Bayda

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

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

Al Bayda is about 99% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $15.57 in Al Bayda to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2380% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $10.38 in Al Bayda – Al Bayda is about 99% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $10.38 in Al Bayda versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Bayda but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Al Bayda 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.