Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabwe and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabwe: $567 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Kabwe
Learn more

Kabwe Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kabwe

🇿🇲 Zambia

$567

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $567 per month in Kabwe vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kabwe $567
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $899 per month in Kabwe vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kabwe $899
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,232 per month in Kabwe vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kabwe $1,232
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kabwe is about 53% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kabwe and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kabwe 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.59 ZMW 112

$10.92 MX$203

-48.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 ZMW 607

$43.37 MX$808

-30.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 ZMW 101

$11.78 MX$219

-57.30%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ZMW 54.6

$3.81 MX$71.0

-28.61%

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

$0.76 ZMW 15.35

$1.28 MX$23.89

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZMW 9.08

$0.78 MX$14.58

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ZMW 25.12

$3.17 MX$59.0

-60.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.53

$4.93 MX$91.9

-53.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZMW 33.37

$1.41 MX$26.20

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ZMW 24.37

$2.22 MX$41.30

-45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 ZMW 42.02

$1.42 MX$26.40

47.18%

Eggs

$1.18 ZMW 23.76

$2.52 MX$47.00

-53.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 ZMW 208

$7.26 MX$135

42.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ZMW 129

$7.70 MX$143

-16.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ZMW 129

$12.69 MX$236

-49.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.1

$2.78 MX$51.9

16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 ZMW 19.15

$1.37 MX$25.49

-30.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 ZMW 72.8

$2.55 MX$47.52

42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 30.84

$2.12 MX$39.55

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ZMW 51.6

$1.94 MX$36.11

32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ZMW 36.95

$1.89 MX$35.13

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ZMW 22.71

$1.15 MX$21.36

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZMW 14.98

$1.18 MX$21.96

-36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ZMW 60.7

$4.30 MX$80.0

-29.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 ZMW 195

$9.95 MX$185

-2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ZMW 28.12

$1.58 MX$29.50

-11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ZMW 46.47

$2.67 MX$49.76

-13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 ZMW 50.8

$4.97 MX$92.6

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 ZMW 29.61

$3.33 MX$62.1

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 ZMW 97.3

$5.36 MX$99.8

-9.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ZMW 27.41

$1.44 MX$26.90

-4.86%

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

$7,409 ZMW 148.7K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

-64.15%

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

$27.2K ZMW 545.6K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

15.86%

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

$78.5 ZMW 1,576

$84.8 MX$1,580

-7.39%

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

$10.37 ZMW 208

$23.41 MX$436

-55.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 ZMW 1,088

$28.66 MX$534

89.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ZMW 117

$5.14 MX$95.7

13.81%

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

$137 ZMW 2,744

$207 MX$3,848

-33.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ZMW 329.0K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

317.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.90 ZMW 460

$43.35 MX$808

-47.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.36 ZMW 308

$41.44 MX$772

-62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 901

$74.2 MX$1,382

-39.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ZMW 1,432

$89.3 MX$1,663

-20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

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$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

153.28%

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

Last update for Kabwe: 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

Kabwe

$224 39.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 13.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabwe

$143 25.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 4.4% $6.3

Eating Out

Kabwe

$108 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 87.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Kabwe

$70 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 60.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Kabwe

$12 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 475% $56

Getting Around

Kabwe

$9.9 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 409% $41

Accommodation & Living

Kabwe

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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 $30 in Kabwe versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $255 – making Kabwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kabwe

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

7 h behind Kabwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,517

149,923

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.98 USD

100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 20.07 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.98 USD). 1 EUR = 22.4 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.46 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabwe Playa del Carmen 13,190 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabwe
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 112% more than Kabwe, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $850 per month in Kabwe and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kabwe and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kabwe, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kabwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $567 in Kabwe to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.