Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,018 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Harare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,018 in Harare.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Harare $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,696 in Harare.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Harare $1,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,375 in Harare.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Harare $2,375

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 18% more expensive than in Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Harare 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$9.95 ZWL 265

9.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$45.58 ZWL 1,213

-3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.63 ZWL 150

108.88%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

23.49%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.94 ZWL 24.95

42.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.45 ZWL 11.98

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

209.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

153.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.53 ZWL 40.78

-3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.02 ZWL 27.05

117.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.66 ZWL 44.16

-10.84%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.98 ZWL 52.7

25.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.37 ZWL 303

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.40 ZWL 144

47.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.79 ZWL 181

85.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

-9.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.63 ZWL 43.25

-12.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

27.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.52 ZWL 40.50

40.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.73 ZWL 46.09

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.80 ZWL 47.94

10.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.29 ZWL 34.35

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.00 ZWL 26.67

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

118.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.33 ZWL 222

20.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.38 ZWL 36.62

11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

35.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

-45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$60.8 ZWL 1,618

-54.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$3.88 ZWL 103

26.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

67.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.12 ZWL 136

5.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.79 ZWL 47.75

-18.99%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$21.9K ZWL 582.6K

-3.36%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$27.2K ZWL 722.7K

-15.24%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$50.7 ZWL 1,348

68.53%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$21.89 ZWL 583

7.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$69.5 ZWL 1,849

-59.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$47.15 ZWL 1,255

31.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$22.40 ZWL 596

28.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$10.18 ZWL 271

-49.90%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$467 ZWL 12.4K

-56.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$8,608 ZWL 229.1K

-54.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$23.43 ZWL 623

89.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$21.48 ZWL 572

92.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$38.24 ZWL 1,018

90.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$40.39 ZWL 1,075

121.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$384 ZWL 10.2K

155.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$311 ZWL 8,284

19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$835 ZWL 22.2K

101.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$743 ZWL 19.8K

47.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$939 ZWL 25.0K

320.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$393 ZWL 10.4K

1463.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$419 ZWL 11.2K

75.88%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Harare

$311 30.6% 16.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Harare

$216 21.2% 16.4% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Harare

$147 14.4% 26.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Harare

$142 14% 3.5% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Harare

$56 5.5% 50.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Harare

$68 6.6% 6.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Harare

$79 7.8% 52.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $384 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 76% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $46.00 in Harare. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $216, with Harare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,606,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Harare 13,550 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Harare

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 Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 76% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $384 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $467 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,018 in Harare versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Harare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.