Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $983 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sidon, Lebanon
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Sidon
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$983
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sidon 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 Sidon and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $983 per month in Sidon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sidon $983
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Sidon vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sidon $1,586
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Sidon vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sidon $2,189
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sidon is about 18% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sidon and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sidon 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.02 LBP 1.1M
$10.92 MX$204
10.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.6 LBP 6.1M
$43.37 MX$808
58.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 LBP 911.8K
$11.78 MX$220
-13.50%
Cappuccino
$4.59 LBP 410.8K
$3.81 MX$71.0
20.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 LBP 210.9K
$1.28 MX$23.90
84.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 LBP 79.1K
$0.78 MX$14.59
12.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.89 LBP 437.7K
$3.17 MX$59.0
54.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.66 LBP 417.4K
$4.93 MX$92.0
-5.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 LBP 171.6K
$1.41 MX$26.22
36.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 LBP 80.3K
$2.22 MX$41.33
-59.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 LBP 196.7K
$1.42 MX$26.42
54.93%
Eggs
$3.65 LBP 326.7K
$2.52 MX$47.03
44.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.24 LBP 1.0M
$7.26 MX$135
54.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.39 LBP 930.2K
$7.70 MX$143
34.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.76 LBP 1.3M
$12.69 MX$237
16.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 LBP 270.0K
$2.78 MX$51.9
8.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 LBP 153.7K
$1.37 MX$25.50
25.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 LBP 146.5K
$2.55 MX$47.55
-35.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 LBP 130.5K
$2.12 MX$39.58
-31.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 LBP 107.9K
$1.94 MX$36.13
-37.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 LBP 144.5K
$1.89 MX$35.16
-14.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 LBP 109.6K
$1.15 MX$21.37
6.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 LBP 65.7K
$1.18 MX$21.98
-38.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.08 LBP 275.8K
$4.30 MX$80.1
-28.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.09 LBP 992.6K
$9.95 MX$185
11.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 LBP 117.3K
$1.58 MX$29.52
-17.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 LBP 227.5K
$2.67 MX$49.79
-4.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
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)
$4.88 LBP 436.8K
$4.97 MX$92.6
-1.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.27 LBP 203.0K
$3.33 MX$62.1
-31.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.74 LBP 2.0M
$5.36 MX$99.8
324.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 LBP 96.7K
$1.44 MX$26.92
-25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$53.2K LBP 4.8B
$20.7K MX$385.2K
157.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K LBP 2.9B
$23.5K MX$437.4K
40.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 LBP 18.9M
$84.8 MX$1,581
149.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.59 LBP 2.1M
$23.41 MX$436
0.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.71 LBP 3.5M
$28.66 MX$534
35.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,063
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 LBP 880.8K
$5.14 MX$95.8
91.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$693 LBP 62.0M
$207 MX$3,851
235.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K LBP 941.5M
$3,927 MX$73.2K
167.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 LBP 6.1M
$43.35 MX$808
56.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.1 LBP 4.5M
$41.44 MX$772
20.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$141 LBP 12.6M
$74.2 MX$1,383
90.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 LBP 10.6M
$89.3 MX$1,664
32.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$980 MX$18.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,099
-
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$114.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sidon
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
11.45
-3.93%

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

Last update for Sidon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sidon
$275
Playa del Carmen
$255 7.4% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidon
$274
Playa del Carmen
$137 50% $137
Eating Out
Sidon
$229
Playa del Carmen
$202 11.5% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Sidon
$170
Playa del Carmen
$112 34.2% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Sidon
$20 *
Playa del Carmen
$67 242% $48
Getting Around
Sidon
$16 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 211% $34
Accommodation & Living
Sidon
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Sidon versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇧 Sidon
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:36 10:36 PM
15:36 3:36 PM
7 h behind Sidon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
163,554
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sidon Playa del Carmen 11,450 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sidon
  • 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
Sidon vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sidon cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,475 per month in Sidon and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Sidon and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $983 in Sidon and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Sidon about 18% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $693 per month in Sidon and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Sidon or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $983 in Sidon to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Sidon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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