Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tripoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $538 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
Learn more

Tripoli Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/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 $538 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tripoli $538

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $812 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Tripoli $812

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,087 in Tripoli, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Tripoli $1,087

Playa del Carmen costs about 124% 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 11% lower, Tripoli 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.82 LYD 24.48

184.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$15.79 LYD 101

179.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$2.60 LYD 16.69

352.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.63 LYD 4.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.41

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$0.44 LYD 2.83

736.36%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.42 LYD 2.68

219.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.10 LYD 0.63

720.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.97 LYD 6.25

51.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1010.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.19 LYD 7.62

24.37%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.38 LYD 8.83

80.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.33 LYD 34.13

41.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.61 LYD 23.16

120.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.17 LYD 58.7

37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.23 LYD 14.29

24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.49 LYD 9.57

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.71 LYD 4.54

269.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.55 LYD 3.55

289.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.77 LYD 4.94

162.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.49 LYD 3.14

306.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.39 LYD 2.51

192.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.20 LYD 1.31

500.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.77 LYD 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 LYD 6.34

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.91 LYD 12.24

123.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.30 LYD 1.91

76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.80 LYD 5.10

512.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.48 LYD 3.09

614.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7150.00%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

-10.42%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

9.50%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$93.1 LYD 597

-8.30%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.05 LYD 38.75

287.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$27.35 LYD 175

3.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$24.58 LYD 158

153.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$2.36 LYD 15.14

1115.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

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

$201 MX$3,715

$53.1 LYD 340

278.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,534 LYD 9,830

157.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$22.65 LYD 145

95.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$17.61 LYD 113

134.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$63.3 LYD 406

14.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$67.1 LYD 430

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$351 LYD 2,251

178.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$143 LYD 917

160.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$619 LYD 3,968

171.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$258 LYD 1,655

323.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$257 LYD 1,646

187.20%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Tripoli

$143 26.6% 61.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Tripoli

$117 21.7% 54.9% $142

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Tripoli

$46 8.5% 77.2% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tripoli

$126 23.5% 7.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tripoli

$77 14.3% 31.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6% 66% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8% 91.5% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $351 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 187% 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 $16.00 in Tripoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $117 – making Tripoli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,127,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tripoli 9,680 km ≈ 13 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 124%, 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 $807 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $538 in Tripoli. That's a gap of about 124%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $53.1 in Tripoli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tripoli, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tripoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tripoli – 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 Tripoli. 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.