Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Livingstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingstone: $199 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Livingstone

🇿🇲 Zambia

$199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $199 in Livingstone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Livingstone $199

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $367 in Livingstone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Livingstone $367

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $535 in Livingstone, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Livingstone $535

Playa del Carmen costs about 506% more than Livingstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Livingstone are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Livingstone 85% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.57 ZMW 153

44.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$30.35 ZMW 611

42.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.72 ZMW 176

35.09%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.88 ZMW 98.2

-21.93%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.34 ZMW 6.78

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$19.88 ZMW 400

-49.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.48 ZMW 49.93

34.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Livingstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Livingstone

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Livingstone

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Livingstone

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Livingstone

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Livingstone

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Livingstone

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Livingstone

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $30 in Livingstone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $40 – making Livingstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇲 Livingstone

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

136,897

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.97 USD

100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 20.14 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.97 USD). 1 EUR = 22.48 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Livingstone 13,020 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Livingstone

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 Livingstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $199 in Livingstone – Livingstone comes out roughly 83% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $298 in Livingstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $30 in Livingstone. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $199 in Livingstone. That makes Livingstone about 83% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Livingstone, where all-in costs run around $199, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Livingstone 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 $199 in Livingstone to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.