Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Djerba

For one person, living is cheaper in Djerba: $446 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Djerba
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$446
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $446 in Djerba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Djerba $446

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $787 in Djerba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Djerba $787

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,128 in Djerba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Djerba $1,128

Playa del Carmen costs about 170% more than Djerba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Djerba are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Djerba 67% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$2.87 TND 8.59
278.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$20.36 TND 61.0
117.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$3.63 TND 10.86
223.97%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$0.69 TND 2.05
433.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$0.63 TND 1.89
112.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.27 TND 0.81
203.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$1.56 TND 4.67
96.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$2.04 TND 6.12
142.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.49 TND 1.46
200.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.18 TND 0.53
1133.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.37 TND 4.11
8.03%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.52 TND 4.56
63.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$9.88 TND 29.60
-23.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$4.93 TND 14.76
61.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$13.39 TND 40.11
-6.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.73 TND 5.18
60.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.57 TND 7.70
-44.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.09 TND 3.26
140.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$0.64 TND 1.93
234.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.58 TND 1.75
248.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$0.66 TND 1.97
201.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.56 TND 1.69
103.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.29 TND 0.88
313.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$3.32 TND 9.95
28.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$5.37 TND 16.09
86.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.14 TND 3.40
35.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$0.83 TND 2.48
220.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.18 TND 0.53
194.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.29 TND 0.86
1589.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.22 TND 0.66
1459.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$7.59 TND 22.74
-29.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$0.82 TND 2.46
76.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$35.9K TND 107.6K
-41.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$35.1K TND 105.1K
-34.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$23.19 TND 69.5
268.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$9.46 TND 28.33
147.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$14.62 TND 43.80
94.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$16.92 TND 50.7
267.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$16.93 TND 50.7
69.40%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$4.00 TND 11.98
27.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$50.7 TND 152
296.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$2,466 TND 7,384
60.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$33.64 TND 101
31.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$35.77 TND 107
15.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$33.36 TND 99.9
118.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$66.3 TND 199
35.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$117 TND 350
738.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$66.4 TND 199
461.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$277 TND 828
507.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$209 TND 627
423.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$974 TND 2,917
305.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$500 TND 1,498
1126.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Djerba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$278 TND 832
165.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
13.6
-15.81%

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 Djerba: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Djerba
$66 82.2% $306
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Djerba
$171 33.7% $87
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Djerba
$58 71.3% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Djerba
$47 65.6% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Djerba
$76 31.8% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Djerba
$25 65.6% $47
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Djerba
$2.1 * 95.9% $50

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 $117 in Djerba. 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 166% 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 $20.00 in Djerba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $171 – making Djerba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇳 Djerba
🕒 Local time
07:33 7:33 AM
13:33 1:33 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
89,228
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Djerba 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Djerba

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 Djerba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Djerba?
Playa del Carmen costs about 170% more than Djerba, 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 Djerba?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $668 in Djerba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Djerba?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Djerba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Djerba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $20.00 in Djerba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Djerba?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Playa del Carmen or in Djerba?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Djerba, where all-in costs run around $446, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Djerba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Djerba?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Djerba costs $446 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Djerba?
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.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Djerba?
If budget matters most, go with Djerba. 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.

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