Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sousse and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $779 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sousse
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$779
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $779 per month in Sousse vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sousse $779
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,261 per month in Sousse vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sousse $1,261
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $1,743 per month in Sousse vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Sousse $1,743
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Sousse is about 35% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sousse and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sousse 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.90 TND 14.67
$10.86 MX$201
-54.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.60 TND 70.7
$44.21 MX$817
-46.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.75 TND 20.22
$11.76 MX$217
-42.60%
Cappuccino
$1.10 TND 3.29
$3.68 MX$68.0
-70.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 TND 2.19
$1.34 MX$24.79
-45.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 TND 1.12
$0.82 MX$15.24
-53.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.72 TND 5.14
$3.06 MX$56.6
-43.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 TND 4.98
$4.94 MX$91.2
-66.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.44 TND 1.32
$1.47 MX$27.17
-70.07%
White Bread (500g)
$0.13 TND 0.40
$2.22 MX$40.95
-94.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.24 TND 3.71
$1.48 MX$27.32
-16.22%
Eggs
$1.61 TND 4.82
$2.49 MX$45.99
-35.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.70 TND 41.05
$7.52 MX$139
82.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 TND 17.37
$7.96 MX$147
-27.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 TND 41.87
$12.57 MX$232
11.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 TND 6.05
$2.78 MX$51.3
-27.34%
Banana (1kg)
$3.49 TND 10.46
$1.43 MX$26.37
144.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 TND 3.07
$2.62 MX$48.37
-61.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.69 TND 2.06
$2.14 MX$39.49
-67.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 TND 2.62
$2.02 MX$37.38
-56.93%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 TND 2.05
$1.99 MX$36.74
-65.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 TND 1.30
$1.14 MX$21.01
-62.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 TND 0.97
$1.20 MX$22.18
-72.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.76 TND 11.25
$4.26 MX$78.7
-11.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.98 TND 17.90
$10.02 MX$185
-40.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 TND 3.08
$1.54 MX$28.41
-33.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 TND 3.39
$2.66 MX$49.17
-57.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 TND 0.99
$0.53 MX$9.73
-37.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.88 TND 29.60
$27.51 MX$508
-64.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.34 TND 1.03
$4.90 MX$90.6
-93.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 TND 2.08
$3.43 MX$63.5
-79.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.00 TND 11.98
$5.38 MX$99.4
-25.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 TND 2.43
$1.45 MX$26.76
-44.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K TND 120.6K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
90.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.8K TND 110.1K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
59.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.1 TND 225
$85.4 MX$1,577
-12.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.68 TND 40.97
$23.46 MX$434
-41.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.58 TND 58.6
$28.43 MX$525
-31.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.10 TND 84.2
$62.2 MX$1,149
-54.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.30 TND 78.8
$28.68 MX$530
-8.30%
Cinema Ticket
$6.54 TND 19.59
$5.10 MX$94.3
28.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.6 TND 277
$201 MX$3,715
-53.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,228 TND 9,667
$3,947 MX$72.9K
-18.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.6 TND 158
$44.39 MX$820
18.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.9 TND 212
$41.35 MX$764
71.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$149 TND 447
$72.7 MX$1,344
105.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.4 TND 298
$89.6 MX$1,656
10.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$241 TND 721
$979 MX$18.1K
-75.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$161 TND 483
$373 MX$6,887
-56.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$512 TND 1,533
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-69.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 TND 1,037
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-68.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$978 TND 2,929
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-75.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$621 TND 1,859
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-89.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sousse
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$380 TND 1,139
$738 MX$13.6K
-48.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.4
11.45
-0.44%

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

Last update for Sousse: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sousse
$197
Playa del Carmen
$258 31.3% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Sousse
$167
Playa del Carmen
$112 33.3% $56
Accommodation & Living
Sousse
$161
Playa del Carmen
$373 131% $212
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sousse
$108
Playa del Carmen
$137 26.6% $29
Eating Out
Sousse
$89
Playa del Carmen
$200 125% $111
Sport & Entertainment
Sousse
$41
Playa del Carmen
$72 75.8% $31
Getting Around
Sousse
$15
Playa del Carmen
$52 244% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Sousse versus $979 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 94% 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 $24.00 in Sousse versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Sousse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Sousse
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
15:23 3:23 PM
09:23 9:23 AM
6 h behind Sousse
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
221,530
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sousse Playa del Carmen 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sousse
  • 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
Sousse vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Sousse?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, 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 $1,168 per month in Sousse and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sousse, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Sousse and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $779 in Sousse and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 55%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 178% less in Sousse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Sousse or in Playa del Carmen?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sousse, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sousse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sousse or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sousse – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sousse. 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.

Sousse vs other spots: cost of living compared

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