Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lusaka Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lusaka

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 29.8% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 48% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 8% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 48.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$7.31 ZMW 180
64.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$25.24 ZMW 621
68.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$3.65 ZMW 89.8
186.85%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.94 ZMW 47.7
85.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.73 ZMW 17.91
97.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.34 ZMW 8.36
161.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$0.88 ZMW 21.69
251.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$1.84 ZMW 45.19
148.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.27 ZMW 31.34
8.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.8 ZMW 19.66
131.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.66 ZMW 40.9
-5.42%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.79 ZMW 44.03
42.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.84 ZMW 193
9.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.81 ZMW 93.7
124.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$4.73 ZMW 116
132.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.49 ZMW 61.2
9.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.66 ZMW 40.93
-9.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.79 ZMW 68.6
-32.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.12 ZMW 27.52
95.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.87 ZMW 46.08
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.38 ZMW 33.86
58.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.93 ZMW 22.89
15.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.49 ZMW 12.01
122.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.43 ZMW 59.7
62.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$6.7 ZMW 165
32.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.09 ZMW 26.83
57.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.57 ZMW 38.64
66.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$1.02 ZMW 25.19
-49.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$38.27 ZMW 942
-30.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$2.67 ZMW 65.6
21.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.15 ZMW 28.23
106.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$9.45 ZMW 232
-67.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.2 ZMW 29.51
9.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$8,101 ZMW 199.3K
274.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$28.1K ZMW 692K
-14.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$91.5 ZMW 2,250
-7.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$53.1 ZMW 1,305
-58.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$127 ZMW 3,118
-76.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$45.64 ZMW 1,123
13.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$13.97 ZMW 344
34.00%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.13 ZMW 102
22.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$174 ZMW 4,278
15.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$9,526 ZMW 234.3K
-44.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$18.76 ZMW 461
90.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$17.25 ZMW 424
130.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$84.2 ZMW 2,072
-6.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$72.2 ZMW 1,775
22.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$223 ZMW 5,475
333.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$124 ZMW 3,052
282.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,034 ZMW 25.4K
59.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$605 ZMW 14.9K
98.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,020 ZMW 49.7K
52.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$4,856 ZMW 119.5K
55.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$314 ZMW 7,714
152.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
25
-54.32%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Lusaka: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.