Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
Learn more

Sabratha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $406 in Sabratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sabratha $406

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $596 in Sabratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sabratha $596

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $785 in Sabratha, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sabratha $785

Playa del Carmen costs about 197% more than Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sabratha are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sabratha 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.03 LYD 19.40

260.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$9.55 LYD 61.2

354.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$1.54 LYD 9.87

664.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 LYD 4.33

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$0.44 LYD 2.83

765.91%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.32 LYD 2.07

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.09 LYD 0.57

766.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.92 LYD 5.87

53.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1010.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.10 LYD 7.06

29.09%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.41 LYD 9.01

78.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.23 LYD 33.54

38.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.50 LYD 22.43

120.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.32 LYD 59.7

36.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.00 LYD 12.79

39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.54 LYD 9.86

-11.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.69 LYD 4.44

269.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.60 LYD 3.85

253.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.48 LYD 3.10

304.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.32 LYD 2.06

490.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.30 LYD 1.89

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.17 LYD 1.09

594.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 LYD 5.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LYD 5.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.89 LYD 12.09

127.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.82 LYD 5.25

-32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.81 LYD 5.18

513.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.32 LYD 2.06

940.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$0.76 LYD 4.84

605.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.02 LYD 0.11

7100.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$23.2K LYD 149.0K

-11.11%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$21.4K LYD 137.2K

9.62%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$91.9 LYD 589

-7.73%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$3.80 LYD 24.38

516.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$13.86 LYD 88.9

106.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$11.06 LYD 70.9

415.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.61 LYD 48.79

279.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

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

$207 MX$3,851

$39.49 LYD 253

423.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$946 LYD 6,064

315.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$19.10 LYD 122

126.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$17.32 LYD 111

139.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$64.7 LYD 415

14.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$15.66 LYD 100

469.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$157 LYD 1,006

524.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$78.6 LYD 504

384.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$232 LYD 1,487

635.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$108 LYD 694

893.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$280 LYD 1,796

1307.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$189 LYD 1,208

3166.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$187 LYD 1,201

291.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Sabratha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sabratha

$79 19.4% 79.4% $302

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sabratha

$113 27.7% 55.8% $142

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sabratha

$36 8.8% 82.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sabratha

$110 27% 19.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sabratha

$53 13% 53% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 83.6% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sabratha

$5.7 * 1.4% 88.7% $45

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 $157 in Sabratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $10 in Sabratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $113 – making Sabratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

83,398

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sabratha 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 197%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $609 in Sabratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $157 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $406 in Sabratha. That makes Sabratha about 66% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $39 in Sabratha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sabratha, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sabratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sabratha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sabratha. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.