Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dar es Salaam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $702 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $702 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dar es Salaam $702

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,108 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dar es Salaam $1,108

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,514 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dar es Salaam $1,514

Playa del Carmen costs about 72% more than Dar es Salaam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Dar es Salaam are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Dar es Salaam 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.87 TZS 4,890

483.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$18.77 TZS 49.2K

131.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.72 TZS 20.2K

52.59%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.01 TZS 5,272

89.55%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.37 TZS 981

245.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.22 TZS 577

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.93 TZS 2,431

240.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.87 TZS 4,905

163.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$0.82 TZS 2,157

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.62 TZS 1,622

258.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.09 TZS 2,865

30.28%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.85 TZS 4,845

36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.16 TZS 24.0K

-20.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.72 TZS 12.4K

63.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$4.00 TZS 10.5K

217.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.47 TZS 6,481

12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.07 TZS 2,800

28.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.03 TZS 2,694

147.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$0.89 TZS 2,324

138.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.93 TZS 2,442

108.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.99 TZS 2,593

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.83 TZS 2,173

38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.39 TZS 1,011

202.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.14 TZS 5,605

100.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$7.27 TZS 19.0K

36.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.91 TZS 2,395

73.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.54 TZS 4,020

73.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.26 TZS 681

111.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$14.54 TZS 38.1K

83.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.66 TZS 4,355

199.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.52 TZS 3,992

119.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$13.17 TZS 34.5K

-59.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.36 TZS 3,561

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$16.5K TZS 43.2M

25.31%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$26.4K TZS 69.1M

-11.00%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$55.6 TZS 145.7K

52.45%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

154.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$33.86 TZS 88.7K

-15.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$83.9 TZS 219.8K

-32.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$9.73 TZS 25.5K

197.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.97 TZS 13.0K

3.42%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$559 TZS 1.5M

-63.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$13.0K TZS 34.2M

-69.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$15.31 TZS 40.1K

183.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$25.76 TZS 67.5K

60.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$44.36 TZS 116.2K

67.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$58.7 TZS 153.8K

51.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$565 TZS 1.5M

73.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$195 TZS 510.0K

95.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,345 TZS 3.5M

27.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$433 TZS 1.1M

148.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,541 TZS 4.0M

155.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,053 TZS 2.8M

484.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$285 TZS 746.4K

157.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

18.25

-37.26%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dar es Salaam

$195 27.8% 48.9% $186

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dar es Salaam

$152 21.6% 40.5% $103

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dar es Salaam

$73 10.4% 63.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dar es Salaam

$99 14.1% 27.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3% 41.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dar es Salaam

$94 13.4% 39.4% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.5% 50.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $565 in Dar es Salaam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Dar es Salaam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $152 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,383,728

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,916 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dar es Salaam 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,052 in Dar es Salaam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dar es Salaam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $559 in Dar es Salaam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dar es Salaam, where all-in costs run around $702, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Dar es Salaam 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 $702 in Dar es Salaam to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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