Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Beja

For one person, living is cheaper in Beja: $617 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Beja, Tunisia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Beja
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$617
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Beja

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 Beja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $617 in Beja, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Beja $617

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,066 in Beja, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Beja $1,066

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,515 in Beja, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Beja $1,515

Playa del Carmen costs about 95% more than Beja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Beja are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Beja 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$3.89 TND 11.70
180.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$16.88 TND 50.7
156.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$4.65 TND 13.96
153.33%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$0.65 TND 1.95
486.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$0.56 TND 1.67
128.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.27 TND 0.82
188.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$1.15 TND 3.44
175.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$1.70 TND 5.11
190.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$0.47 TND 1.41
200.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$0.13 TND 0.40
1607.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.70 TND 5.12
-16.47%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$1.43 TND 4.29
76.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$8.23 TND 24.72
-11.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$6.40 TND 19.24
20.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$13.40 TND 40.27
-5.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.59 TND 4.79
74.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$4.55 TND 13.68
-69.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.13 TND 3.39
125.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$0.86 TND 2.58
146.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$0.61 TND 1.83
218.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$0.56 TND 1.70
237.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$0.44 TND 1.32
161.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.30 TND 0.90
293.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$3.39 TND 10.18
26.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$4.89 TND 14.69
103.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.22 TND 3.67
29.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.36 TND 4.10
96.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.39 TND 1.16
41.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$15.19 TND 45.65
75.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$0.29 TND 0.86
1613.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$0.42 TND 1.25
692.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$5.04 TND 15.14
6.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$0.79 TND 2.37
82.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$39.8K TND 119.7K
-48.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$36.5K TND 109.6K
-35.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$42.71 TND 128
98.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$10.28 TND 30.90
127.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$19.96 TND 60.0
43.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$19.58 TND 58.8
191.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$22.99 TND 69.1
25.75%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$3.29 TND 9.87
56.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$61.0 TND 183
238.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$1,221 TND 3,669
221.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$55.3 TND 166
-21.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$64.3 TND 193
-35.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$108 TND 323
-31.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$134 TND 402
-33.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$164 TND 492
498.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$84.1 TND 253
352.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$268 TND 805
537.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$296 TND 891
262.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$404 TND 1,213
877.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$107 TND 322
5646.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Beja
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$330 TND 991
122.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11
4.09%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Beja: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Beja
$84 77.9% $297
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Beja
$186 26.8% $68
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Beja
$65 67.7% $137
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Beja
$73 46.7% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Beja
$163 45.5% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Beja
$26 61.2% $41
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Beja
$19 62.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $164 in Beja. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Beja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $186 – making Beja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇳 Beja
🕒 Local time
00:22 12:22 AM
06:22 6:22 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
57,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Beja 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Beja

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 Beja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Beja?
Playa del Carmen costs about 95% more than Beja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Beja?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $925 in Beja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Beja?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Beja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $164 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Beja?
Public transport costs about 43% less in Beja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Beja?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $61 in Beja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Playa del Carmen or in Beja?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Beja, where all-in costs run around $617, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Beja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Beja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Beja?
If budget matters most, go with Beja. 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.

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