Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and El Kef

For one person, living is cheaper in El Kef: $614 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in El Kef
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El Kef Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

El Kef

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in El Kef

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $614 in El Kef, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
El Kef $614

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $964 in El Kef, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
El Kef $964

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,315 in El Kef, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
El Kef $1,315

Playa del Carmen costs about 96% more than El Kef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$5.48 TND 16.52

99.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.42 TND 40.43

223.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.61 TND 13.89

155.53%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$0.69 TND 2.06

452.17%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.51 TND 1.54

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.24 TND 0.72

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.88 TND 2.66

260.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$0.99 TND 3.00

397.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$0.46 TND 1.39

206.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.19 TND 0.58

1068.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.86 TND 5.59

-23.66%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.47 TND 4.44

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.59 TND 43.95

-50.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.26 TND 18.87

23.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$15.12 TND 45.56

-16.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.67 TND 5.03

66.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.67 TND 5.02

-17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.03 TND 3.10

147.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.61 TND 1.85

247.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.41 TND 1.24

373.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.16 TND 0.47

1081.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.48 TND 1.46

139.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.31 TND 0.94

280.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.39 TND 10.22

26.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$4.34 TND 13.06

129.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.65 TND 1.95

143.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.00 TND 3.00

167.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.32 TND 0.98

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$10.25 TND 30.89

159.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.29 TND 0.87

1613.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.29 TND 0.87

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$4.04 TND 12.16

32.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.77 TND 2.33

87.01%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$39.6K TND 119.4K

-47.85%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$37.2K TND 112.0K

-36.90%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$26.84 TND 80.9

215.91%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$10.40 TND 31.34

125.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$14.31 TND 43.10

100.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$27.31 TND 82.3

108.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$12.59 TND 37.93

129.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.35 TND 10.09

53.43%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$61.1 TND 184

237.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,944 TND 5,857

102.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$23.19 TND 69.9

86.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$68.6 TND 207

-39.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$40.51 TND 122

83.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$76.5 TND 230

16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$208 TND 626

371.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$158 TND 477

140.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$370 TND 1,116

361.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$270 TND 812

298.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$938 TND 2,825

320.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$619 TND 1,864

895.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$171 TND 514

330.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 El Kef: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

El Kef

$158 25.8% 58.4% $222

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

El Kef

$187 30.5% 26.6% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

El Kef

$75 12.3% 62.8% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

El Kef

$52 8.4% 62.3% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

El Kef

$94 15.3% 15.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

El Kef

$34 5.5% 49.5% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

El Kef

$13 2.2% 73.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $208 in El Kef. 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 4.3 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 $13 in El Kef. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $187 – making El Kef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇳 El Kef

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

03:14 3:14 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

73,710

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen El Kef 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
El Kef

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 El Kef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $920 in El Kef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Kef, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 61% less in El Kef. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $61 in El Kef. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in El Kef, where all-in costs run around $614, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In El Kef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Kef – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with El Kef. 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.