Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tarhuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarhuna: $372 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tarhuna, Libya
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Tarhuna
🇱🇾 Libya
$372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $372 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Tarhuna $372

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $576 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Tarhuna $576

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $779 in Tarhuna, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Tarhuna $779

Playa del Carmen costs about 224% more than Tarhuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tarhuna are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tarhuna 73% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$203
$3.95 LYD 25.35
176.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$15.52 LYD 99.6
179.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$219
$2.62 LYD 16.81
349.62%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.65 LYD 4.17
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.68 LYD 4.40
-
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$0.44 LYD 2.83
765.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.89
$0.46 LYD 2.95
178.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.58
$0.12 LYD 0.80
550.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.9
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.20
$0.97 LYD 6.20
45.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.30
$0.20 LYD 1.28
1010.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.40
$1.21 LYD 7.77
17.36%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.00
$1.37 LYD 8.78
83.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$5.17 LYD 33.19
40.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$3.60 LYD 23.11
113.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$236
$9.59 LYD 61.6
32.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$2.30 LYD 14.75
20.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.49
$1.49 LYD 9.55
-8.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.52
$0.73 LYD 4.70
249.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.55
$0.56 LYD 3.59
278.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.11
$0.77 LYD 4.95
151.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.13
$0.50 LYD 3.21
278.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.36
$0.42 LYD 2.70
173.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.96
$0.16 LYD 1.05
637.50%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.74 LYD 11.15
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.98 LYD 6.28
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.82 LYD 5.26
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.0
$2.00 LYD 12.84
115.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.50
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.76
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
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
$0.81 LYD 5.21
513.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$0.49 LYD 3.14
579.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.90
$0.02 LYD 0.13
7100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.0K
$23.1K LYD 148.1K
-10.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.2K
$21.0K LYD 135.0K
11.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,580
$94.3 LYD 605
-10.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$6.09 LYD 39.09
284.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$26.71 LYD 171
7.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.7
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,848
$52.5 LYD 337
293.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$1,540 LYD 9,883
155.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$23.10 LYD 148
87.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$17.08 LYD 110
142.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,382
$63.7 LYD 409
16.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,663
$67.2 LYD 431
32.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,095
-
-
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$114.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tarhuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
0
-

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 Tarhuna: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Tarhuna
–
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Tarhuna
–
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Tarhuna
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Tarhuna
–
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Tarhuna
–
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Tarhuna
–
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Tarhuna
–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Tarhuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $117 – making Tarhuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇾 Tarhuna
🕒 Local time
21:51 9:51 PM
04:51 4:51 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
120,000
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.42 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.15 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Tarhuna 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Tarhuna

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 Tarhuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tarhuna cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 224%, 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 $558 in Tarhuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Tarhuna?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $372 in Tarhuna. That makes Tarhuna about 69% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $52 in Tarhuna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Tarhuna?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tarhuna, where all-in costs run around $372, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tarhuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Tarhuna?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $372 in Tarhuna to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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