Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nabeul

For one person, living is cheaper in Nabeul: $672 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nabeul, Tunisia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Nabeul
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$672
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $672 in Nabeul.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Nabeul $672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,062 in Nabeul.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Nabeul $1,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,452 in Nabeul.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Nabeul $1,452

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 79% more expensive than in Nabeul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nabeul 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$4.04 TND 12.15
170.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$19.90 TND 59.8
117.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$4.80 TND 14.41
145.42%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$1.55 TND 4.65
145.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$0.61 TND 1.84
109.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.52 TND 1.56
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$1.70 TND 5.11
86.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$1.63 TND 4.91
202.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$0.44 TND 1.31
220.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$0.19 TND 0.56
1068.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$1.32 TND 3.95
7.58%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$1.52 TND 4.56
65.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$11.94 TND 35.87
-39.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$6.01 TND 18.07
28.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$12.29 TND 36.92
3.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$1.95 TND 5.85
42.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$3.51 TND 10.56
-60.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.30 TND 3.91
96.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$0.76 TND 2.29
178.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$0.65 TND 1.94
198.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$0.84 TND 2.52
125.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$0.52 TND 1.56
121.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.34 TND 1.04
247.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$3.29 TND 9.89
30.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$5.00 TND 15.03
99.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.20 TND 3.61
31.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.30 TND 3.91
105.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.85 TND 2.55
-35.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$0.29 TND 0.86
1613.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$0.31 TND 0.94
974.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$0.85 TND 2.56
69.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$39.5K TND 118.6K
-47.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$36.2K TND 108.8K
-35.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$58.8 TND 177
44.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$10.50 TND 31.54
122.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$19.89 TND 59.8
44.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$29.36 TND 88.2
94.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$13.84 TND 41.57
108.89%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$5.37 TND 16.14
-4.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$61.0 TND 183
238.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$3,765 TND 11.3K
4.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$37.49 TND 113
15.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$57.3 TND 172
-27.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$97.2 TND 292
-23.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$65.8 TND 198
35.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$227 TND 682
331.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$152 TND 455
151.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$378 TND 1,135
352.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$279 TND 837
285.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$870 TND 2,613
353.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$806 TND 2,420
664.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Nabeul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$253 TND 761
190.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
10.33
10.84%

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 Nabeul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Nabeul
$152 60.2% $229
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Nabeul
$189 26% $66
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Nabeul
$82 59.7% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Nabeul
$89 34.8% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Nabeul
$116 3.9% $4.3
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Nabeul
$40 40.4% $27
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Nabeul
$5.3 * 89.6% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $227 in Nabeul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Nabeul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $189 per month, with Nabeul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇳 Nabeul
🕒 Local time
05:07 5:07 AM
11:07 11:07 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
73,128
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Nabeul 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Nabeul

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 Nabeul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Nabeul?
Nabeul wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nabeul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Nabeul?
Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Nabeul?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $227 in Nabeul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Nabeul?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $61 in Nabeul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Nabeul?
Dining out is cheaper in Nabeul – a meal for two runs $20 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $800/month in Playa del Carmen or in Nabeul?
At $672 in Nabeul versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Nabeul but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nabeul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Nabeul?
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.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Nabeul?
It comes down to priorities – Nabeul 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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