Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Monastir

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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 Monastir
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Monastir Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $706 in Monastir.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Monastir $706

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,131 in Monastir.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Monastir $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,555 in Monastir.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Monastir $1,555

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 71% more expensive than in Monastir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$5.01 TND 15.04

117.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$22.48 TND 67.6

92.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.15 TND 18.46

91.54%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.19 TND 3.58

220.17%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.74 TND 2.23

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.36 TND 1.09

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.63 TND 4.91

94.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.63 TND 4.90

202.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.44 TND 1.31

220.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.17 TND 0.51

1205.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.68 TND 5.04

-15.48%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.58 TND 4.73

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$13.71 TND 41.18

-47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.15 TND 18.47

25.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$14.60 TND 43.85

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.01 TND 6.05

38.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$4.40 TND 13.21

-68.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.20 TND 3.59

112.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.80 TND 2.39

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.87 TND 2.62

122.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.72 TND 2.17

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.44 TND 1.33

161.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.33 TND 1.00

257.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.74 TND 11.24

14.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$5.70 TND 17.14

74.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.21 TND 3.64

30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.32 TND 3.96

102.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.32 TND 0.95

71.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$11.01 TND 33.08

141.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$0.29 TND 0.87

1613.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.29 TND 0.86

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$1.77 TND 5.32

202.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.83 TND 2.48

73.49%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$39.7K TND 119.3K

-47.94%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$35.9K TND 108.0K

-34.71%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$61.5 TND 185

37.78%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$10.56 TND 31.74

121.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$20.06 TND 60.3

42.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$23.67 TND 71.1

141.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$6.63 TND 19.92

336.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$6.03 TND 18.12

-14.76%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$94.4 TND 284

118.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,205 TND 9,630

22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$46.92 TND 141

-7.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$67.5 TND 203

-38.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$111 TND 334

-33.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$97.2 TND 292

-8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$203 TND 609

383.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$121 TND 362

215.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$354 TND 1,064

382.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$233 TND 701

360.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,219 TND 3,661

223.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$619 TND 1,859

895.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$347 TND 1,041

111.91%

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 Monastir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Monastir

$121 17.1% 68.3% $260

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Monastir

$210 29.7% 17.6% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Monastir

$89 12.6% 56.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Monastir

$92 13.1% 32.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Monastir

$145 20.6% 30% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Monastir

$36 5.1% 46.9% $32

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Monastir

$14 2% 72.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $203 in Monastir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $22 in Monastir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $210 per month, with Monastir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇳 Monastir

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

16:59 4:59 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

104,535

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 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 Monastir 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Monastir

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 Monastir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monastir 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.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $203 in Monastir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $706 in Monastir – Monastir is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Monastir runs roughly 59% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $706 in Monastir versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monastir but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Monastir 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 Monastir 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.