Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masvingo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $617 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
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Masvingo Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$617

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $617 per month in Masvingo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masvingo $617
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,025 per month in Masvingo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masvingo $1,025
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,432 per month in Masvingo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Masvingo $1,432
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Masvingo is about 49% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Masvingo and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Masvingo 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.56 ZWL 334

$10.67 MX$199

17.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.86 ZWL 1,218

$43.80 MX$815

4.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 ZWL 149

$11.79 MX$219

-52.33%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ZWL 80.8

$3.79 MX$70.5

-19.79%

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

$0.84 ZWL 22.40

$1.30 MX$24.14

-35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ZWL 11.23

$0.83 MX$15.51

-49.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ZWL 32.77

$3.15 MX$58.6

-60.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ZWL 52.8

$4.93 MX$91.8

-59.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ZWL 40.35

$1.41 MX$26.22

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ZWL 26.23

$2.20 MX$40.86

-55.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.47

$1.47 MX$27.40

8.84%

Eggs

$1.94 ZWL 51.4

$2.50 MX$46.46

-22.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 ZWL 307

$7.29 MX$136

58.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ZWL 146

$7.95 MX$148

-30.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 ZWL 183

$12.86 MX$239

-46.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ZWL 84.1

$2.90 MX$53.9

9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ZWL 44.92

$1.38 MX$25.74

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ZWL 54.9

$2.49 MX$46.35

-16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ZWL 41.46

$2.03 MX$37.77

-23.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.14

$2.02 MX$37.68

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ZWL 40.51

$1.90 MX$35.42

-19.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ZWL 34.23

$1.14 MX$21.30

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ZWL 26.16

$1.24 MX$23.05

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 ZWL 47.66

$4.27 MX$79.5

-58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 ZWL 221

$9.81 MX$183

-15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ZWL 36.17

$1.59 MX$29.51

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ZWL 49.48

$2.75 MX$51.1

-32.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 ZWL 107

$4.76 MX$88.6

-15.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

$3.25 MX$60.5

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ZWL 131

$5.39 MX$100

-8.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ZWL 47.71

$1.53 MX$28.44

17.65%

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

$21.8K ZWL 580.1K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

2.96%

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

$27.4K ZWL 728.1K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

17.84%

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

$50.7 ZWL 1,346

$83.5 MX$1,554

-39.30%

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

$21.61 ZWL 574

$23.19 MX$431

-6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 ZWL 1,902

$27.61 MX$514

159.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 ZWL 265

$5.00 MX$93.1

99.20%

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

$420 ZWL 11.2K

$207 MX$3,854

102.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ZWL 447.7K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

222.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.66 ZWL 575

$43.45 MX$809

-50.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.40 ZWL 542

$42.54 MX$792

-52.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.83 ZWL 978

$72.8 MX$1,354

-49.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.69 ZWL 1,081

$88.4 MX$1,645

-53.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

11.45

19.56%

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

Last update for Masvingo: November 1, 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

Masvingo

$216 35.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 19% $41

Eating Out

Masvingo

$169 27.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 18.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masvingo

$144 23.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 6.7% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Masvingo

$54 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 107% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Masvingo

$20 * 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 233% $47

Getting Around

Masvingo

$14 * 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 266% $37

Accommodation & Living

Masvingo

- * 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 $46 in Masvingo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $216 in Masvingo vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Masvingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

05:11 5:11 AM

7 h behind Masvingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,527

149,923

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 26.56 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.85 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masvingo Playa del Carmen 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Masvingo
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $617 in Masvingo, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Masvingo comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $925 per month in Masvingo 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 $617 in Masvingo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Masvingo about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Masvingo 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 Masvingo, where all-in costs run around $617, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Masvingo 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 $617 in Masvingo to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.