Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
Learn more

Kafue Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $564 per month in Kafue vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kafue $564
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $902 per month in Kafue vs $2,081 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kafue $902
Playa del Carmen $2,081

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Kafue vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kafue $1,239
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Kafue and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kafue 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

$10.67 MX$198

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 595

$43.80 MX$813

-32.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

$11.79 MX$219

-57.25%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.8

$3.79 MX$70.3

-24.54%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.46

$1.30 MX$24.09

-44.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.68

$0.83 MX$15.48

-42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.74

$3.15 MX$58.4

-61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.83

$4.93 MX$91.6

-53.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.91

$1.41 MX$26.16

19.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.53

$2.20 MX$40.77

-47.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.56

$1.47 MX$27.35

36.73%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.24

$2.50 MX$46.37

-22.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

$7.29 MX$135

39.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

$7.95 MX$148

-22.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$12.86 MX$239

-48.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.4

$2.90 MX$53.8

16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.77

$1.38 MX$25.69

71.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.5

$2.49 MX$46.26

30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.11

$2.03 MX$37.70

-24.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.6

$2.02 MX$37.61

28.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.77

$1.90 MX$35.35

-6.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.38

$1.14 MX$21.25

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.45

$1.24 MX$23.01

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 60.9

$4.27 MX$79.3

-29.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 201

$9.81 MX$182

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.78

$1.59 MX$29.45

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.92

$2.75 MX$51.0

-17.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.07

$4.76 MX$88.4

-48.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.03

$3.25 MX$60.3

-55.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 101

$5.39 MX$100

-7.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.57

$1.53 MX$28.38

-4.58%

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

$7,396 ZMW 149.5K

$21.2K MX$393.9K

-65.14%

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

$24.7K ZMW 499.7K

$23.3K MX$432.0K

6.24%

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

$69.0 ZMW 1,394

$83.5 MX$1,550

-17.39%

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

$10.75 ZMW 217

$23.19 MX$431

-53.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,083

$27.61 MX$513

94.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ZMW 118

$5.00 MX$92.9

16.40%

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

$145 ZMW 2,940

$207 MX$3,846

-29.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K ZMW 414.2K

$5,231 MX$97.1K

291.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.90 ZMW 504

$43.45 MX$807

-42.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 352

$42.54 MX$790

-59.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 908

$72.8 MX$1,351

-38.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,317

$88.4 MX$1,641

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Kafue: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 10.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 85.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 62.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 471% $55

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 425% $41

Accommodation & Living

Kafue

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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 $29 in Kafue versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $255 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

7 h behind Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

149,923

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 20.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.64 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.42 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kafue Playa del Carmen 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kafue
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $564 in Kafue, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Kafue comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $846 per month in Kafue and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $564 in Kafue and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Kafue about 53% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in Kafue and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $564, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Kafue 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 $564 in Kafue to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.