Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Menzel Temime

For one person, living is cheaper in Menzel Temime: $714 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Menzel Temime
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Menzel Temime Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Menzel Temime

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Menzel Temime

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $714 in Menzel Temime.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Menzel Temime $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,120 in Menzel Temime.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Menzel Temime $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,526 in Menzel Temime.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Menzel Temime $1,526

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 69% more expensive than in Menzel Temime, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Menzel Temime 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.30 TND 15.91

106.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$16.46 TND 49.45

163.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.82 TND 14.47

144.40%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$1.53 TND 4.58

149.02%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.61 TND 1.84

109.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.25 TND 0.75

212.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$1.69 TND 5.08

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$1.66 TND 4.99

196.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$0.44 TND 1.32

220.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$0.16 TND 0.49

1287.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.83 TND 5.48

-22.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$1.50 TND 4.50

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$14.61 TND 43.89

-50.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$6.28 TND 18.85

22.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$14.70 TND 44.16

-13.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$1.61 TND 4.85

72.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$4.64 TND 13.94

-70.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$1.35 TND 4.06

88.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$0.93 TND 2.80

127.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.03 TND 3.11

88.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$0.87 TND 2.61

117.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$0.45 TND 1.35

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.30 TND 0.92

293.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$3.36 TND 10.10

27.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$4.96 TND 14.89

100.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$1.23 TND 3.69

28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.37 TND 4.13

94.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.35 TND 1.06

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$9.93 TND 29.84

168.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$0.31 TND 0.93

1503.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.33 TND 0.99

909.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$4.14 TND 12.42

29.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.82 TND 2.45

75.61%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$40.3K TND 121.0K

-48.70%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$36.3K TND 109.0K

-35.30%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$43.90 TND 132

93.14%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$10.61 TND 31.86

120.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$19.97 TND 60.0

43.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$26.44 TND 79.5

115.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$12.52 TND 37.60

130.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$3.39 TND 10.19

51.62%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$62.2 TND 187

232.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$1,956 TND 5,878

100.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$48.24 TND 145

-10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$67.2 TND 202

-38.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$108 TND 324

-31.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$66.6 TND 200

34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$207 TND 620

374.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$158 TND 475

140.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$375 TND 1,125

355.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$270 TND 810

298.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$970 TND 2,915

306.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$625 TND 1,878

885.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Menzel Temime: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Menzel Temime

$158 22.2% 58.5% $223

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Menzel Temime

$214 29.9% 16.1% $41

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Menzel Temime

$90 12.7% 55.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Menzel Temime

$74 10.4% 45.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Menzel Temime

$130 18.3% 16.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Menzel Temime

$33 4.7% 50.6% $34

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Menzel Temime

$13 1.9% 73.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $207 in Menzel Temime. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $16 in Menzel Temime for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $214 per month, with Menzel Temime cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇳 Menzel Temime

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

15:32 3:32 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

65,645

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 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 Menzel Temime 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Menzel Temime

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 Menzel Temime: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Menzel Temime is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,070 in Menzel Temime to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $207 in Menzel Temime. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $62 in Menzel Temime. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Menzel Temime versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Menzel Temime but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Menzel Temime the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Menzel Temime gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.