Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Playa del Carmen

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.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $538 per month in Tripoli vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tripoli $538
Playa del Carmen $1,204

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

Tripoli $812
Playa del Carmen $2,102

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

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

Tripoli is about 55% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tripoli and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Tripoli 60% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 LYD 24.48

$10.86 MX$201

-64.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.79 LYD 101

$44.21 MX$817

-64.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 LYD 16.69

$11.76 MX$217

-77.89%

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

$0.44 LYD 2.83

$3.68 MX$68.0

-88.04%

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

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$1.34 MX$24.79

-68.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 LYD 0.63

$0.82 MX$15.24

-87.80%

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)

$0.97 LYD 6.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

-34.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$2.22 MX$40.95

-90.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.62

$1.48 MX$27.32

-19.59%

Eggs

$1.38 LYD 8.83

$2.49 MX$45.99

-44.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 LYD 34.13

$7.52 MX$139

-29.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 LYD 23.16

$7.96 MX$147

-54.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 LYD 58.7

$12.57 MX$232

-27.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 LYD 14.29

$2.78 MX$51.3

-19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 LYD 9.57

$1.43 MX$26.37

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 LYD 4.54

$2.62 MX$48.37

-72.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 LYD 3.55

$2.14 MX$39.49

-74.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 LYD 4.94

$2.02 MX$37.38

-61.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.14

$1.99 MX$36.74

-75.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 LYD 2.51

$1.14 MX$21.01

-65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 LYD 1.31

$1.20 MX$22.18

-83.33%

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)

$1.91 LYD 12.24

$4.26 MX$78.7

-55.16%

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)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$0.53 MX$9.73

-43.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 LYD 5.10

$4.90 MX$90.6

-83.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$3.43 MX$63.5

-86.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.45 MX$26.76

-98.62%

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

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

11.63%

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

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-8.68%

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

$93.1 LYD 597

$85.4 MX$1,577

9.06%

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

$6.05 LYD 38.75

$23.46 MX$434

-74.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.35 LYD 175

$28.43 MX$525

-3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 LYD 158

$62.2 MX$1,149

-60.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$28.68 MX$530

-91.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

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

$53.1 LYD 340

$201 MX$3,715

-73.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,534 LYD 9,830

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-61.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 LYD 145

$44.39 MX$820

-48.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.61 LYD 113

$41.35 MX$764

-57.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 LYD 406

$72.7 MX$1,344

-12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 LYD 430

$89.6 MX$1,656

-25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 LYD 2,251

$979 MX$18.1K

-64.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 LYD 917

$373 MX$6,887

-61.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 LYD 3,968

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-63.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 LYD 1,655

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-76.41%

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)

$257 LYD 1,646

$738 MX$13.6K

-65.18%

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 Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tripoli

$143 26.6%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 161% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$126 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 8.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$117 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 122% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$77 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 45.3% $35

Eating Out

Tripoli

$46 8.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 338% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 195% $48

Getting Around

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 1075% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Tripoli 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 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 $16.00 in Tripoli versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $258 – making Tripoli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

7 h behind Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,127,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

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).

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).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tripoli Playa del Carmen 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Tripoli
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

Tripoli vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $807 per month in Tripoli and $1,806 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 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 $538 in Tripoli and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 124%.

Kindergarten costs $53.1 per month in Tripoli and $201 in Playa del Carmen. 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.