Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Juniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,317 in Juniyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Juniyah, Lebanon
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Juniyah
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,317
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,317 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Juniyah $1,317

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,988 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Juniyah $1,988

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,660 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Juniyah $2,660

Playa del Carmen is about 9% cheaper than Juniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Carmen and Juniyah are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Juniyah 3% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$11.97 LBP 1.1M
-8.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$69.1 LBP 6.2M
-37.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$10.14 LBP 907.6K
16.17%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$4.59 LBP 411.2K
-16.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$2.38 LBP 212.8K
-46.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.84 LBP 75.4K
-7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$5.10 LBP 456.4K
-37.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$4.88 LBP 437.2K
1.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$2.01 LBP 180.1K
-29.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$0.85 LBP 76.4K
161.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$2.19 LBP 196.1K
-35.16%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$3.63 LBP 325.2K
-30.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$8.97 LBP 803.1K
-19.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$10.40 LBP 930.7K
-25.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$14.92 LBP 1.3M
-14.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.03 LBP 271.0K
-8.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$1.65 LBP 147.3K
-16.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$1.60 LBP 143.5K
59.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$1.54 LBP 138.0K
37.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.21 LBP 108.2K
60.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.61 LBP 144.1K
17.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$1.18 LBP 105.6K
-2.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.72 LBP 64.6K
63.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$2.99 LBP 267.6K
43.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$11.20 LBP 1.0M
-11.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.27 LBP 113.3K
24.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.59 LBP 231.6K
3.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$5.03 LBP 450.2K
-1.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$2.30 LBP 205.5K
44.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$22.77 LBP 2.0M
-76.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.09 LBP 97.2K
32.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$53.3K LBP 4.8B
-61.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$32.4K LBP 2.9B
-27.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$216 LBP 19.3M
-60.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$23.82 LBP 2.1M
-1.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$37.79 LBP 3.4M
-24.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$29.62 LBP 2.7M
92.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$9.95 LBP 890.4K
190.55%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$9.97 LBP 892.3K
-48.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$677 LBP 60.6M
-69.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$10.8K LBP 965.5M
-63.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$67.3 LBP 6.0M
-35.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$49.06 LBP 4.4M
-15.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$140 LBP 12.6M
-47.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$119 LBP 10.7M
-25.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$378 LBP 33.9M
158.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$306 LBP 27.4M
24.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$451 LBP 40.4M
278.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$407 LBP 36.5M
163.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$806 LBP 72.2M
663.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Juniyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11
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 Juniyah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Juniyah
$306 19.7% $75
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Juniyah
$269 5.5% $14
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Juniyah
$229 13.4% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Juniyah
$278 103% $141
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Juniyah
$169 51.5% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Juniyah
$50 26.4% $18
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Juniyah
$17 * 67.3% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $378 in Juniyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Juniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $269 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇧 Juniyah
🕒 Local time
12:33 12:33 PM
19:33 7:33 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
96,315
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,877 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Juniyah 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Juniyah

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 Juniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Juniyah?
Yes – Juniyah is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,976 in Juniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Juniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Juniyah?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $69 in Juniyah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Juniyah?
Groceries cost about 6% more in Juniyah, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Juniyah?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,317 in Juniyah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Juniyah?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,317 in Juniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?