Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chinhoyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chinhoyi: $644 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Chinhoyi
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Chinhoyi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Chinhoyi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chinhoyi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Chinhoyi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $644 in Chinhoyi.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Chinhoyi $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,016 in Chinhoyi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chinhoyi $1,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,388 in Chinhoyi.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Chinhoyi $1,388

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 87% more expensive than in Chinhoyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Chinhoyi 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$2.02 ZWL 53.7

428.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$45.05 ZWL 1,196

-2.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$4.39 ZWL 116

168.56%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$0.98 ZWL 25.97

286.73%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$0.34 ZWL 9.12

282.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$0.26 ZWL 6.92

219.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$1.02 ZWL 27.17

208.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$2.05 ZWL 54.3

140.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$1.54 ZWL 40.92

-8.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$0.87 ZWL 23.18

152.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.66 ZWL 43.99

-11.45%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$1.93 ZWL 51.2

29.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.63 ZWL 309

-37.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$3.03 ZWL 80.5

162.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$3.91 ZWL 104

228.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$1.03 ZWL 27.25

181.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$0.97 ZWL 25.84

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$0.99 ZWL 26.18

151.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$0.97 ZWL 25.86

109.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.01 ZWL 26.83

88.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$0.52 ZWL 13.74

119.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$0.82 ZWL 21.88

51.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$1.74 ZWL 46.25

145.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$7.19 ZWL 191

36.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$0.49 ZWL 12.96

224.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

180.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

-47.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$29.64 ZWL 787

-7.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$3.96 ZWL 105

20.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.98 ZWL 52.5

64.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$5.05 ZWL 134

6.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$1.40 ZWL 37.22

9.29%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$22.2K ZWL 590.3K

-4.63%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$27.4K ZWL 727.7K

-15.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$39.97 ZWL 1,061

108.88%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$19.68 ZWL 522

17.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$73.9 ZWL 1,961

-62.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$10.15 ZWL 269

-50.74%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$424 ZWL 11.2K

-51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$15.0K ZWL 398.1K

-65.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$21.27 ZWL 565

104.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$19.81 ZWL 526

114.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$35.82 ZWL 951

103.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$39.84 ZWL 1,057

121.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$182 ZWL 4,826

110.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$297 ZWL 7,878

264.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$197 ZWL 5,239

321.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.69

-16.36%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chinhoyi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Chinhoyi

$182 28.2% 52.4% $201

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Chinhoyi

$156 24.2% 39.4% $102

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Chinhoyi

$53 8.2% 73.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Chinhoyi

$134 20.7% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Chinhoyi

$53 8.2% 52.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Chinhoyi

$20 * 3.2% 69.4% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chinhoyi

$47 7.4% 6% $3.1

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $45 in Chinhoyi. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $156, with Chinhoyi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇼 Chinhoyi

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,794

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.66 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chinhoyi 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chinhoyi

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $644 in Chinhoyi, so Chinhoyi is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $644 in Chinhoyi – Chinhoyi is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $644 in Chinhoyi versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chinhoyi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chinhoyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Chinhoyi wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.