Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Misrata

For one person, living is cheaper in Misrata: $439 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Misrata, Libya
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Misrata
🇱🇾 Libya
$439
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $439 in Misrata.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Misrata $439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $709 in Misrata.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Misrata $709

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $979 in Misrata.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Misrata $979

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 174% more expensive than in Misrata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Misrata 68% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$2.73 LYD 17.51
300.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$7.98 LYD 51.2
443.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$2.64 LYD 16.92
346.21%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.60 LYD 3.84
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.49 LYD 3.15
-
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$0.48 LYD 3.05
693.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$0.43 LYD 2.73
197.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$0.10 LYD 0.65
680.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$0.85 LYD 5.43
65.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$0.20 LYD 1.28
1010.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$0.95 LYD 6.08
49.47%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$1.21 LYD 7.79
108.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$4.05 LYD 25.99
79.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$3.41 LYD 21.88
125.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$9.05 LYD 58.0
40.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.22 LYD 14.25
25.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$1.53 LYD 9.82
-10.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$0.74 LYD 4.75
244.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$0.60 LYD 3.85
253.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$0.72 LYD 4.62
169.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$0.46 LYD 2.95
310.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$0.43 LYD 2.75
167.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$0.19 LYD 1.21
521.05%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.22 LYD 14.26
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.69 LYD 4.45
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.85 LYD 5.45
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$1.89 LYD 12.14
127.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$0.64 LYD 4.13
-14.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$39.49 LYD 253
-32.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$0.81 LYD 5.19
513.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$0.49 LYD 3.11
579.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$2.31 LYD 14.80
132.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$0.02 LYD 0.13
7100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$23.4K LYD 150.3K
-11.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$19.1K LYD 122.7K
22.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$62.0 LYD 398
36.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$6.05 LYD 38.80
286.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$27.12 LYD 174
5.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$14.29 LYD 91.7
299.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$7.66 LYD 49.15
277.42%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$4.78 LYD 30.64
7.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$26.32 LYD 169
684.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$805 LYD 5,162
388.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$22.81 LYD 146
90.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$17.16 LYD 110
141.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$45.36 LYD 291
63.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$41.88 LYD 269
113.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$147 LYD 940
568.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$71.4 LYD 458
433.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$326 LYD 2,090
424.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$214 LYD 1,374
401.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$516 LYD 3,307
664.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$103 LYD 659
5892.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Misrata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$398 LYD 2,550
84.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
20
-42.75%

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 Misrata: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Misrata
$71 81.3% $309
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Misrata
$109 57.3% $146
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Misrata
$38 81.4% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Misrata
$95 30.5% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Misrata
$57 48.8% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Misrata
$24 64.6% $43
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Misrata
$45 10.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $147 in Misrata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $8 in Misrata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $109 per month, with Misrata cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇾 Misrata
🕒 Local time
05:21 5:21 AM
12:21 12:21 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
600,000
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.16 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Misrata 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Misrata

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 Misrata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Misrata cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Misrata is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Playa del Carmen or Misrata?
Average pay runs 85% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Playa del Carmen and Misrata?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $147 in Misrata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Misrata?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $439 in Misrata – Misrata is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 33% less than in Misrata. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Misrata?
At $439 in Misrata versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Misrata but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Misrata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Misrata?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Misrata wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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