Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sousse

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $779 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Sousse
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$779
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $779 in Sousse, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Sousse $779

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,261 in Sousse, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Sousse $1,261

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,743 in Sousse, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Sousse $1,743

Playa del Carmen costs about 55% more than Sousse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sousse are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sousse 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$4.90 TND 14.67
121.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$23.60 TND 70.7
87.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$6.75 TND 20.22
74.22%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$1.10 TND 3.29
234.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$0.73 TND 2.19
83.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.38 TND 1.12
115.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$1.72 TND 5.14
77.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$1.66 TND 4.98
197.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$0.44 TND 1.32
234.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.13 TND 0.40
1607.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.24 TND 3.71
19.35%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.61 TND 4.82
54.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$13.70 TND 41.05
-45.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$5.80 TND 17.37
37.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$13.98 TND 41.87
-10.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$2.02 TND 6.05
37.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$3.49 TND 10.46
-59.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.02 TND 3.07
156.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$0.69 TND 2.06
210.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.87 TND 2.62
132.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$0.69 TND 2.05
188.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.43 TND 1.30
165.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.33 TND 0.97
263.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$3.76 TND 11.25
13.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$5.98 TND 17.90
67.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.03 TND 3.08
49.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$1.13 TND 3.39
135.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.33 TND 0.99
60.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$9.88 TND 29.60
178.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.34 TND 1.03
1341.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.69 TND 2.08
397.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$4.00 TND 11.98
34.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$0.81 TND 2.43
79.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$40.3K TND 120.6K
-47.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$36.8K TND 110.1K
-37.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$75.1 TND 225
13.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$13.68 TND 40.97
71.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$19.58 TND 58.6
45.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$28.10 TND 84.2
121.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$26.30 TND 78.8
9.05%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$6.54 TND 19.59
-22.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$92.6 TND 277
117.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$3,228 TND 9,667
22.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$52.6 TND 158
-15.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$70.9 TND 212
-41.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$149 TND 447
-51.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$99.4 TND 298
-9.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$241 TND 721
307.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$161 TND 483
131.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$512 TND 1,533
228.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$346 TND 1,037
216.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$978 TND 2,929
303.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$621 TND 1,859
888.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Sousse
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$380 TND 1,139
93.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
11.4
0.44%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sousse: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Sousse
$161 56.8% $212
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Sousse
$197 23.9% $62
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Sousse
$89 55.6% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Sousse
$108 21% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Sousse
$167 50% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Sousse
$41 43.1% $31
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Sousse
$15 71% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $241 in Sousse. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $24.00 in Sousse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $197 – making Sousse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇳 Sousse
🕒 Local time
10:29 10:29 AM
16:29 4:29 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
221,530
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Sousse 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Sousse

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 Sousse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sousse cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,168 in Sousse. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sousse, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Sousse?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $779 in Sousse. That's a gap of about 55%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 178% less in Sousse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Sousse?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sousse, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sousse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Sousse more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sousse – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sousse. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?