Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusaka and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Lusaka is 9.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lusaka is 22.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 ZMW 141

$11.85 MX$209

-37.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 ZMW 487

$42.16 MX$744

-39.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.70 ZMW 70.7

$10.75 MX$190

-65.58%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ZMW 36.94

$3.47 MX$61.3

-44.38%

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

$0.69 ZMW 13.18

$1.45 MX$25.65

-52.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ZMW 6.92

$0.90 MX$15.93

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ZMW 17.03

$3.05 MX$53.9

-70.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ZMW 34.56

$4.42 MX$77.9

-59.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ZMW 24.17

$1.37 MX$24.17

-8.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 ZMW 14.17

$1.87 MX$33.05

-60.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ZMW 30.35

$1.54 MX$27.25

3.25%

Eggs

$1.82 ZMW 34.85

$2.50 MX$44.18

-27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 ZMW 152

$8.61 MX$152

-7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.83 ZMW 73.2

$8.63 MX$152

-55.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.61 ZMW 88.2

$11.02 MX$195

-58.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 ZMW 49.95

$2.75 MX$48.53

-5.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ZMW 30.78

$1.43 MX$25.21

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 ZMW 51.5

$1.87 MX$33.05

43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ZMW 21.45

$2.17 MX$38.26

-48.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 ZMW 35.99

$1.88 MX$33.23

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZMW 26.56

$2.25 MX$39.65

-38.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ZMW 18.05

$1.07 MX$18.85

-12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ZMW 9.88

$1.07 MX$18.95

-51.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 ZMW 48.29

$4.15 MX$73.3

-39.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ZMW 143

$10.34 MX$182

-27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ZMW 21.82

$1.68 MX$29.64

-32.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ZMW 29.94

$2.48 MX$43.84

-37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ZMW 18.25

$0.55 MX$9.80

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.75 ZMW 741

$26.53 MX$468

46.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ZMW 53.0

$3.22 MX$56.8

-13.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ZMW 21.92

$2.48 MX$43.80

-53.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 ZMW 173

$3.11 MX$54.9

190.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ZMW 22.89

$1.26 MX$22.16

-4.76%

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

$8,118 ZMW 155.3K

$30.7K MX$541.1K

-73.52%

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

$28.1K ZMW 536.8K

$24.0K MX$424.3K

16.73%

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

$90.3 ZMW 1,727

$82.5 MX$1,456

9.44%

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

$52.0 ZMW 994

$22.29 MX$393

133.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$127 ZMW 2,433

$30.02 MX$530

323.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.62 ZMW 854

$51.4 MX$908

-13.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 ZMW 267

$18.29 MX$323

-23.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.14 ZMW 79.2

$4.98 MX$88.0

-16.87%

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

$176 ZMW 3,358

$200 MX$3,530

-12.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,737 ZMW 186.3K

$5,304 MX$93.6K

83.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.25 ZMW 368

$35.71 MX$630

-46.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.30 ZMW 331

$39.56 MX$698

-56.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 ZMW 1,614

$80.6 MX$1,422

4.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ZMW 1,423

$88.3 MX$1,559

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 ZMW 4,303

$969 MX$17.1K

-76.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ZMW 2,360

$482 MX$8,511

-74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 ZMW 20.2K

$1,595 MX$28.2K

-33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 ZMW 11.2K

$1,184 MX$20.9K

-50.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,942 ZMW 37.2K

$4,050 MX$71.5K

-52.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,863 ZMW 73.9K

$6,522 MX$115.1K

-40.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$348 ZMW 6,666

$756 MX$13.4K

-53.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

118.91%

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

Last update for Lusaka: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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