Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Benghazi $1,003

Playa del Carmen costs about 184% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.47 LYD 15.84

339.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$12.64 LYD 81.0

249.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$2.39 LYD 15.34

392.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LYD 13.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LYD 2.60

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$0.66 LYD 4.21

457.58%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.43 LYD 2.75

211.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.14 LYD 0.91

485.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.76 LYD 4.85

93.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.15 LYD 0.93

1380.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.36 LYD 8.72

8.82%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.65 LYD 10.55

50.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$6.27 LYD 40.17

19.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.77 LYD 17.77

187.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.47 LYD 73.5

9.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.36 LYD 15.14

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-21.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.16 LYD 7.42

125.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.70 LYD 4.50

205.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.82 LYD 5.24

146.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.64 LYD 4.09

210.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.37 LYD 2.38

208.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.23 LYD 1.47

421.74%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.33 LYD 14.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 LYD 3.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 LYD 4.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.89 LYD 12.12

125.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.59 LYD 10.21

208.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.32 LYD 2.06

971.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7150.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

68.25%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

56.48%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

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

$23.46 MX$434

$4.45 LYD 28.50

427.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.67 LYD 120

52.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$17.33 LYD 111

258.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$3.82 LYD 24.46

650.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.39 LYD 40.94

-20.19%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$76.7 LYD 492

162.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$352 LYD 2,258

1020.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$42.16 LYD 270

5.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$34.96 LYD 224

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$42.12 LYD 270

72.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$68.4 LYD 438

30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$190 LYD 1,220

414.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$119 LYD 762

213.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$430 LYD 2,755

290.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$260 LYD 1,667

321.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$268 LYD 1,718

175.04%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 68.1% $254

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Benghazi

$127 30% 50.8% $131

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 81.5% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 83.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 24.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 58.4% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 93.8% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $190 in Benghazi. 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 175% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $127 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

16:23 4:23 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

631,555

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Benghazi 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Benghazi

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 Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $424 in Benghazi – roughly 184% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $636 in Benghazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 184%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $76.7 in Benghazi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Benghazi, where all-in costs run around $424, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Benghazi 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 $424 in Benghazi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Benghazi. 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.