Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zliten and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zliten: $362 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Zliten, Libya
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Zliten
🇱🇾 Libya
$362
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $362 per month in Zliten vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Zliten $362
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $550 per month in Zliten vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Zliten $550
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $739 per month in Zliten vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Zliten $739
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zliten is about 70% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zliten and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zliten 73% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.98 LYD 25.56
$10.92 MX$205
-63.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.37 LYD 79.3
$43.37 MX$815
-71.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.72 LYD 17.45
$11.78 MX$221
-76.91%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.45 LYD 2.90
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 LYD 4.31
-
-
Cappuccino
$0.40 LYD 2.58
$3.81 MX$71.6
-89.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 LYD 2.42
$1.28 MX$24.10
-70.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.10 LYD 0.66
$0.78 MX$14.71
-87.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.17 MX$59.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.93 MX$92.7
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.82 LYD 5.23
$1.41 MX$26.43
-41.84%
White Bread (500g)
$0.22 LYD 1.41
$2.22 MX$41.66
-90.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.79 LYD 5.07
$1.42 MX$26.64
-44.37%
Eggs
$1.10 LYD 7.06
$2.52 MX$47.41
-56.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.12 LYD 32.84
$7.26 MX$137
-29.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.86 LYD 18.35
$7.70 MX$145
-62.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.99 LYD 57.7
$12.69 MX$239
-29.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 LYD 14.25
$2.78 MX$52.3
-20.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 LYD 9.47
$1.37 MX$25.71
8.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 LYD 4.78
$2.55 MX$47.94
-70.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 LYD 3.61
$2.12 MX$39.90
-73.58%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 LYD 4.57
$1.94 MX$36.43
-63.40%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 LYD 3.11
$1.89 MX$35.44
-74.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 LYD 2.74
$1.15 MX$21.55
-62.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.17 LYD 1.09
$1.18 MX$22.16
-85.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.77 LYD 11.35
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 LYD 6.07
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 LYD 5.43
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.92 LYD 12.29
$4.30 MX$80.7
-55.35%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$9.95 MX$187
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.58 MX$29.76
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.67 MX$50.2
-
🚌 Getting Around
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.40
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 LYD 5.25
$4.97 MX$93.4
-83.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.48 LYD 3.08
$3.33 MX$62.6
-85.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.36 MX$101
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.02 LYD 0.13
$1.44 MX$27.14
-98.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K LYD 149.2K
$20.7K MX$388.4K
12.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K LYD 138.0K
$23.5K MX$441.0K
-8.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.2 LYD 604
$84.8 MX$1,594
11.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.21 LYD 39.85
$23.41 MX$440
-73.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.80 LYD 172
$28.66 MX$539
-6.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,072
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$5.14 MX$96.6
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$53.4 LYD 342
$207 MX$3,882
-74.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,535 LYD 9,845
$3,927 MX$73.8K
-60.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.47 LYD 144
$43.35 MX$815
-48.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.43 LYD 112
$41.44 MX$779
-57.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.9 LYD 416
$74.2 MX$1,394
-12.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.6 LYD 427
$89.3 MX$1,677
-25.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$980 MX$18.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,157
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zliten
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.45
-

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

Last update for Zliten: 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.
Accommodation & Living
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$381
Groceries & Markets
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$255
Eating Out
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$202
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$137
Clothing & Footwear
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$112
Sport & Entertainment
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$67
Getting Around
Zliten
–
Playa del Carmen
$50

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Zliten versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $107 vs $255 – making Zliten the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇾 Zliten
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:37 6:37 AM
23:37 11:37 PM
7 h behind Zliten
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
240,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.16 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zliten Playa del Carmen 9,820 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zliten
  • 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
Zliten vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zliten cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 233%, 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 $542 per month in Zliten 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 Zliten and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $362 in Zliten and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Zliten about 70% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $53 per month in Zliten 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 $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Zliten or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zliten, where all-in costs run around $362, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zliten it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Zliten or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $362 in Zliten to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Zliten vs other spots: cost of living compared

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