Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbeya and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
Learn more

Mbeya Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $426 per month in Mbeya vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mbeya $426
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $656 per month in Mbeya vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mbeya $656
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $887 per month in Mbeya vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Mbeya $887
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Mbeya is about 65% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mbeya and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Mbeya 69% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

$44.21 MX$817

-48.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

$11.76 MX$217

-33.93%

Cappuccino

$1.52 TZS 3,989

$3.68 MX$68.0

-58.70%

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

$0.37 TZS 958

$1.34 MX$24.79

-72.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 TZS 964

$0.82 MX$15.24

-54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 TZS 1,882

$3.06 MX$56.6

-76.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 TZS 1,435

$1.47 MX$27.17

-62.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 TZS 2,430

$2.22 MX$40.95

-58.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,414

$1.48 MX$27.32

-37.84%

Eggs

$2.32 TZS 6,067

$2.49 MX$45.99

-6.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 TZS 9,949

$7.52 MX$139

-49.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 TZS 9,734

$7.96 MX$147

-53.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.30 TZS 8,643

$12.57 MX$232

-73.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 TZS 3,003

$2.78 MX$51.3

-58.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,051

$1.43 MX$26.37

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 TZS 2,581

$2.62 MX$48.37

-62.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 TZS 1,917

$2.14 MX$39.49

-65.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 TZS 2,538

$2.02 MX$37.38

-51.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,053

$1.99 MX$36.74

-60.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 TZS 1,465

$1.14 MX$21.01

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 TZS 1,883

$1.20 MX$22.18

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.14 TZS 2,998

$4.26 MX$78.7

-73.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.72 TZS 9,744

$10.02 MX$185

-62.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,045

$1.54 MX$28.41

-49.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 TZS 3,038

$2.66 MX$49.17

-56.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 TZS 1,036

$0.53 MX$9.73

-24.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 TZS 2,891

$4.90 MX$90.6

-77.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 TZS 4,834

$3.43 MX$63.5

-46.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 TZS 6,831

$5.38 MX$99.4

-51.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 TZS 3,204

$1.45 MX$26.76

-15.86%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

$85.4 MX$1,577

-72.26%

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

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

$23.46 MX$434

-19.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

$28.43 MX$525

62.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-39.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

$5.10 MX$94.3

86.27%

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

$191 TZS 500.6K

$201 MX$3,715

-4.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-71.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

$44.39 MX$820

-74.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

$41.35 MX$764

-77.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

$72.7 MX$1,344

-73.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

$89.6 MX$1,656

-70.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 TZS 297.4K

$979 MX$18.1K

-88.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

$373 MX$6,887

-79.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 TZS 491.0K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-88.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 TZS 292.3K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-89.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 TZS 501.5K

$738 MX$13.6K

-74.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.54%

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

Last update for Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbeya

$115 26.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 125% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbeya

$89 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 54.9% $49

Accommodation & Living

Mbeya

$76 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 388% $296

Sport & Entertainment

Mbeya

$57 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 27.5% $16

Eating Out

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 316% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Mbeya

$30 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 277% $82

Getting Around

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 334% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Mbeya versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 285% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Mbeya versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $115 vs $258 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

8 h behind Mbeya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

541,603

149,923

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbeya Playa del Carmen 13,520 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbeya
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 183%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $639 per month in Mbeya and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbeya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $426 in Mbeya and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 183%.

Kindergarten costs $191 per month in Mbeya and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mbeya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbeya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbeya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.