Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zawiya and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $441 per month in Zawiya vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zawiya $441
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $686 per month in Zawiya vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zawiya $686
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $930 per month in Zawiya vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zawiya $930
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zawiya is about 63% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zawiya and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zawiya 68% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 LYD 14.74

$10.92 MX$204

-78.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 LYD 99.2

$43.37 MX$808

-64.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 LYD 17.39

$11.78 MX$220

-76.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.82

$3.81 MX$71.0

-88.45%

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

$0.44 LYD 2.84

$1.28 MX$23.90

-65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 LYD 0.71

$0.78 MX$14.59

-85.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 LYD 5.82

$1.41 MX$26.22

-35.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$2.22 MX$41.33

-90.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 LYD 6.50

$1.42 MX$26.42

-28.87%

Eggs

$1.35 LYD 8.66

$2.52 MX$47.03

-46.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.74 LYD 30.38

$7.26 MX$135

-34.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 LYD 22.88

$7.70 MX$143

-53.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 LYD 56.8

$12.69 MX$237

-30.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 LYD 12.92

$2.78 MX$51.9

-27.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 LYD 9.44

$1.37 MX$25.50

7.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.49

$2.55 MX$47.55

-72.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 LYD 3.27

$2.12 MX$39.58

-75.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 LYD 3.72

$1.94 MX$36.13

-70.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 LYD 1.64

$1.89 MX$35.16

-86.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$1.15 MX$21.37

-73.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 LYD 1.05

$1.18 MX$21.98

-86.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 LYD 5.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 LYD 4.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 LYD 10.71

$4.30 MX$80.1

-61.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 LYD 4.76

$0.55 MX$10.31

34.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.22 LYD 251

$26.62 MX$496

47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 LYD 4.79

$4.97 MX$92.6

-84.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

$3.33 MX$62.1

-86.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 LYD 14.80

$5.36 MX$99.8

-56.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.12

$1.44 MX$26.92

-98.61%

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

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-24.97%

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

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-28.55%

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

$94.4 LYD 605

$84.8 MX$1,581

11.31%

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

$5.57 LYD 35.69

$23.41 MX$436

-76.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.25 LYD 78.5

$28.66 MX$534

-57.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.31 LYD 111

$57.1 MX$1,063

-69.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 LYD 25.70

$28.91 MX$539

-86.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 LYD 25.15

$5.14 MX$95.8

-23.74%

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

$51.5 LYD 330

$207 MX$3,851

-75.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$897 LYD 5,749

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-77.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.81 LYD 133

$43.35 MX$808

-52.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 LYD 283

$41.44 MX$772

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.99 LYD 199

$74.2 MX$1,383

-58.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.62 LYD 203

$89.3 MX$1,664

-64.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 LYD 570

$980 MX$18.3K

-90.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.4 LYD 375

$381 MX$7,099

-84.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 LYD 1,049

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-90.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 LYD 772

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-88.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$347 LYD 2,227

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-91.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$98.1 LYD 629

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-98.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$251 LYD 1,609

$735 MX$13.7K

-65.82%

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 Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zawiya

$112 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 21.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Zawiya

$109 24.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 134% $146

Accommodation & Living

Zawiya

$58 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 552% $322

Clothing & Footwear

Zawiya

$57 13%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 94.5% $54

Getting Around

Zawiya

$45 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 11.7% $5.3

Eating Out

Zawiya

$34 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 495% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Zawiya

$25 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 168% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $89 in Zawiya versus $980 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Zawiya versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $255 – making Zawiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

7 h behind Zawiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,726

149,923

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 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).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zawiya Playa del Carmen 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zawiya
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 173%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $662 per month in Zawiya 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 Zawiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $89 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $441 in Zawiya and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Zawiya about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zawiya, where all-in costs run around $441, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zawiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zawiya – 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 Zawiya. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.