Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfax and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfax: $626 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
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Sfax Living Index
59

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

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Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$626

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sfax and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $626 per month in Sfax vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfax $626
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $983 per month in Sfax vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfax $983
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,341 per month in Sfax vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sfax $1,341
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sfax is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sfax and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sfax 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 TND 10.14

$10.76 MX$199

-68.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 TND 60.3

$43.03 MX$795

-53.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 TND 14.92

$11.79 MX$218

-57.76%

Cappuccino

$0.70 TND 2.08

$3.87 MX$71.4

-81.91%

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

$0.63 TND 1.89

$1.37 MX$25.29

-54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 TND 0.74

$0.84 MX$15.44

-70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 TND 4.85

$3.10 MX$57.3

-47.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 TND 5.83

$5.07 MX$93.6

-61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 TND 1.38

$1.44 MX$26.55

-68.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 TND 0.66

$2.23 MX$41.23

-90.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 TND 4.08

$1.47 MX$27.17

-7.48%

Eggs

$1.55 TND 4.63

$2.53 MX$46.71

-38.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 TND 37.51

$7.30 MX$135

71.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 TND 16.53

$7.86 MX$145

-29.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 TND 41.41

$12.79 MX$236

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 TND 5.43

$2.90 MX$53.6

-37.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 TND 9.41

$1.44 MX$26.53

118.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 TND 3.14

$2.55 MX$47.07

-58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 TND 2.04

$2.06 MX$38.03

-66.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.42

$2.00 MX$36.97

-59.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 TND 2.47

$2.01 MX$37.07

-58.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 TND 1.74

$1.19 MX$22.02

-51.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 TND 1.04

$1.26 MX$23.23

-72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 TND 11.17

$4.40 MX$81.4

-15.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 TND 20.60

$9.59 MX$177

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 TND 3.39

$1.59 MX$29.41

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 TND 3.26

$2.81 MX$51.9

-61.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 TND 0.53

$0.57 MX$10.47

-68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.97 TND 29.87

$27.82 MX$514

-64.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 TND 0.99

$4.98 MX$92.1

-93.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-91.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 TND 21.59

$5.40 MX$99.8

33.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.47 MX$27.08

-45.58%

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

$36.1K TND 108.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

71.78%

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

$34.4K TND 103.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

44.01%

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

$44.55 TND 133

$84.2 MX$1,556

-47.10%

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

$9.71 TND 29.09

$23.99 MX$443

-59.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.70 TND 44.02

$29.02 MX$536

-49.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.24 TND 81.6

$63.0 MX$1,164

-56.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.12 TND 21.32

$29.14 MX$539

-75.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 TND 13.91

$4.94 MX$91.3

-5.87%

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

$98.6 TND 295

$204 MX$3,763

-51.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 TND 7,427

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-37.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.87 TND 125

$43.60 MX$806

-3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.55 TND 106

$43.12 MX$797

-17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 TND 337

$75.8 MX$1,400

48.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 TND 201

$88.6 MX$1,637

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 TND 584

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-80.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 TND 399

$374 MX$6,911

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 TND 1,002

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-80.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 TND 641

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-80.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,014 TND 3,037

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-74.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 TND 2,156

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-88.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 TND 996

$754 MX$13.9K

-55.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.6

11.45

18.78%

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

Last update for Sfax: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sfax

$193 30.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 34.1% $66

Accommodation & Living

Sfax

$133 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 181% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Sfax

$116 18.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 2.3% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfax

$69 11%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 99% $68

Eating Out

Sfax

$66 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 207% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Sfax

$37 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 99.5% $36

Getting Around

Sfax

$13 2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 318% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $195 in Sfax versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 127% 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 $20.00 in Sfax versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Sfax the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Sfax

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

10:52 10:52 AM

6 h behind Sfax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

955,421

149,923

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sfax Playa del Carmen 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sfax
Playa del Carmen

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

Sfax vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Sfax and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sfax, 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 $626 in Sfax and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 93%.

Public transport costs about 179% less in Sfax. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sfax, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sfax it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sfax – 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 Sfax. 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.