Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tripoli, Lebanon

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $1,060 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,060 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tripoli $1,060

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,612 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tripoli $1,612

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,164 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tripoli $2,164

Playa del Carmen costs about 14% more than Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tripoli are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tripoli 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$4.92 LBP 440.5K

121.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$49.85 LBP 4.5M

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.89 LBP 795.8K

32.51%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.04 LBP 361.4K

-5.69%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.52 LBP 135.9K

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.91 LBP 81.5K

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.92 LBP 440.7K

-35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.73 LBP 423.5K

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.31 LBP 117.3K

7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

161.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.51 LBP 135.3K

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.17 LBP 104.4K

115.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$10.96 LBP 981.2K

-33.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$6.47 LBP 578.7K

19.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$11.09 LBP 992.9K

14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.04 LBP 271.8K

-8.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.63 LBP 146.2K

-15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

59.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.48 LBP 43.0K

341.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.58 LBP 51.5K

234.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.61 LBP 144.2K

17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.46 LBP 41.4K

156.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.08 LBP 275.9K

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.18 LBP 1.0M

-11.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.28 LBP 114.4K

23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.58 LBP 231.1K

3.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$5.04 LBP 451.4K

-1.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

243.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$20.26 LBP 1.8M

-73.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.10 LBP 98.3K

30.91%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$53.5K LBP 4.8B

-61.35%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$32.5K LBP 2.9B

-27.85%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$213 LBP 19.0M

-60.11%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$14.16 LBP 1.3M

65.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$22.64 LBP 2.0M

26.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$39.90 LBP 3.6M

42.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.85 LBP 881.6K

-47.82%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$689 LBP 61.7M

-70.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$3,420 LBP 306.1M

14.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-36.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$49.42 LBP 4.4M

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$139 LBP 12.4M

-46.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$121 LBP 10.8M

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$402 LBP 36.0M

143.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$201 LBP 17.9M

89.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$737 LBP 66.0M

131.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$343 LBP 30.7M

213.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,184 LBP 105.9M

233.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$843 LBP 75.5M

630.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$448 LBP 40.1M

63.80%

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 Tripoli: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tripoli

$201 18.9% 47.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tripoli

$212 20% 16.6% $42

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tripoli

$158 14.9% 21.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tripoli

$249 23.5% 82.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tripoli

$170 16% 51.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tripoli

$60 5.6% 11.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tripoli

$9.9 * 0.9% 80.4% $41

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 $402 in Tripoli. 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 64% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in Tripoli. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $212 in Tripoli – so Tripoli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇧 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

03:07 3:07 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

999,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tripoli 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,590 in Tripoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tripoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,060 in Tripoli. That makes Tripoli about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $689 in Tripoli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,060 in Tripoli, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,060 in Tripoli to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tripoli. 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.