Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sidon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $983 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sidon
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Sidon Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sidon

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $983 in Sidon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sidon $983

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,586 in Sidon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sidon $1,586

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,189 in Sidon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sidon $2,189

Playa del Carmen costs about 22% more than Sidon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sidon are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sidon 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$12.02 LBP 1.1M

-9.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$68.6 LBP 6.1M

-36.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$10.19 LBP 911.8K

15.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$4.59 LBP 410.8K

-16.99%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$2.36 LBP 210.9K

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.88 LBP 79.1K

-11.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.66 LBP 417.4K

5.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.92 LBP 171.6K

-26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.90 LBP 80.3K

146.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.20 LBP 196.7K

-35.45%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$3.65 LBP 326.7K

-30.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

-35.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.39 LBP 930.2K

-25.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$14.76 LBP 1.3M

-14.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.02 LBP 270.0K

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.72 LBP 153.7K

-20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.64 LBP 146.5K

55.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.46 LBP 130.5K

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.21 LBP 107.9K

60.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.62 LBP 144.5K

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.22 LBP 109.6K

-5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.73 LBP 65.7K

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.08 LBP 275.8K

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.09 LBP 992.6K

-10.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.31 LBP 117.3K

20.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.54 LBP 227.5K

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$4.88 LBP 436.8K

1.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$2.27 LBP 203.0K

46.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$22.74 LBP 2.0M

-76.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.08 LBP 96.7K

33.33%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$53.2K LBP 4.8B

-61.16%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$32.9K LBP 2.9B

-28.59%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$211 LBP 18.9M

-59.91%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$23.59 LBP 2.1M

-0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$38.71 LBP 3.5M

-25.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$9.84 LBP 880.8K

-47.76%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$693 LBP 62.0M

-70.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.5K LBP 941.5M

-62.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-36.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

-17.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$141 LBP 12.6M

-47.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$118 LBP 10.6M

-24.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Sidon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sidon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sidon

$275 28% 8% $20

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sidon

$229 23.3% 13% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sidon

$274 27.8% 100% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sidon

$170 17.3% 52.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sidon

$20 * 2% 70.8% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sidon

$16 * 1.7% 67.8% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $69 in Sidon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $275 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇧 Sidon

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

163,554

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sidon 11,450 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sidon

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 Sidon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,475 in Sidon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $983 in Sidon. That makes Sidon about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $693 in Sidon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $983 in Sidon to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.