Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Byblos

For one person, living is cheaper in Byblos: $1,007 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Byblos
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Byblos Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Byblos

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,007 in Byblos.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Byblos $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,618 in Byblos.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Byblos $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,229 in Byblos.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Byblos $2,229

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Byblos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Byblos 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$9.05 LBP 809.9K

20.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$42.63 LBP 3.8M

1.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.97 LBP 623.5K

69.01%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.92 LBP 261.5K

30.48%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.98 LBP 87.5K

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.98 LBP 87.8K

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.21 LBP 108.1K

16.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.63 LBP 56.3K

252.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.61 LBP 143.9K

-11.80%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.14 LBP 191.7K

17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$8.96 LBP 801.6K

-18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$8.26 LBP 739.4K

-6.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.94 LBP 1.1M

6.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.02 LBP 270.4K

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.97 LBP 176.6K

-30.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.02 LBP 91.5K

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.95 LBP 174.3K

8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.02 LBP 91.7K

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.99 LBP 88.3K

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.97 LBP 86.9K

21.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$3.91 LBP 350.3K

154.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.55 LBP 138.5K

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.95 LBP 174.1K

36.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.99 LBP 88.3K

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.02 LBP 90.9K

226.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.92 LBP 82.5K

56.52%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$22.1K LBP 2.0B

-6.62%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$22.5K LBP 2.0B

4.20%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$99.8 LBP 8.9M

-15.04%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$22.87 LBP 2.0M

2.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$24.64 LBP 2.2M

16.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$37.05 LBP 3.3M

53.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$40.44 LBP 3.6M

-28.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$9.86 LBP 882.3K

-47.87%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$398 LBP 35.6M

-48.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$2,941 LBP 263.2M

33.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$101 LBP 9.0M

-57.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$100 LBP 9.0M

-58.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$122 LBP 10.9M

-39.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$149 LBP 13.3M

-40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$300 LBP 26.9M

226.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$227 LBP 20.3M

67.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$805 LBP 72.0M

112.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$406 LBP 36.4M

164.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,354 LBP 121.2M

191.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$827 LBP 74.0M

644.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,017 LBP 91.0M

-27.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

43.12%

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 Byblos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Byblos

$227 22.5% 40.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Byblos

$218 21.7% 14.4% $37

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Byblos

$136 * 13.5% 32.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Byblos

$147 14.6% 7.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Byblos

$213 21.1% 90.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Byblos

$57 5.6% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Byblos

$9 * 0.9% 82.1% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $300 in Byblos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byblos pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $43 in Byblos. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $218, with Byblos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇧 Byblos

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,784

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Byblos 11,430 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Byblos

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 Byblos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byblos is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $300 in Byblos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $398 in Byblos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Byblos gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.