Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $698 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Ben Arous $698

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,098 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Ben Arous $1,098

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,497 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Ben Arous $1,497

Playa del Carmen costs about 73% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ben Arous are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Ben Arous 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$5.31 TND 15.90

102.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$19.81 TND 59.3

117.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.06 TND 15.14

133.00%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.16 TND 3.48

233.62%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.65 TND 1.95

110.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.27 TND 0.81

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.65 TND 4.95

87.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.04 TND 6.12

148.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$0.52 TND 1.54

176.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$0.10 TND 0.29

2130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.70 TND 5.08

-13.53%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.48 TND 4.43

70.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.27 TND 30.76

-28.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$5.91 TND 17.70

32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$17.19 TND 51.5

-25.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$1.67 TND 5.01

73.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$4.47 TND 13.38

-67.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.95 TND 2.84

168.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.80 TND 2.41

157.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.90 TND 2.69

122.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$0.66 TND 1.97

204.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.52 TND 1.56

128.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.31 TND 0.93

306.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.49 TND 10.46

26.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$6.62 TND 19.82

44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.00 TND 2.99

59.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.23 TND 3.68

128.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.38 TND 1.14

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$13.56 TND 40.61

105.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.31 TND 0.93

1506.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.31 TND 0.92

1029.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$1.75 TND 5.23

208.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.86 TND 2.58

70.93%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$39.9K TND 119.6K

-47.47%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$23.0K TND 69.0K

3.74%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$53.9 TND 162

56.15%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$9.87 TND 29.56

143.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$20.83 TND 62.4

39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$32.08 TND 96.1

96.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$16.52 TND 49.46

76.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.11 TND 15.29

-3.33%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$61.0 TND 183

233.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$1,947 TND 5,830

102.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$43.31 TND 130

0.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$60.2 TND 180

-28.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$85.8 TND 257

-11.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$46.95 TND 141

88.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$209 TND 626

382.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$156 TND 467

139.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$386 TND 1,155

343.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$267 TND 799

314.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$933 TND 2,795

322.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$415 TND 1,243

1386.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$247 TND 739

205.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.5

9.05%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 58.3% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 21% $54

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 56.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 38.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 5.9% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 42% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 67.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 206% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

88,322

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ben Arous 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $698 in Ben Arous – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,047 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $20.00 in Ben Arous. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $698 in Ben Arous. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Ben Arous 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 $698 in Ben Arous to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ben Arous. 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.