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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 29.1% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 45.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 7% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 49.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$7.08 ZMW 142
67.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$25.03 ZMW 500
67.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$3.64 ZMW 72.8
189.84%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$1.94 ZMW 38.70
85.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$0.68 ZMW 13.65
120.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$0.34 ZMW 6.70
167.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$0.89 ZMW 17.74
246.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$1.74 ZMW 34.77
156.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.32 ZMW 26.44
5.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$0.78 ZMW 15.65
143.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$1.63 ZMW 32.61
-1.84%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$1.78 ZMW 35.49
46.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$7.93 ZMW 158
5.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$3.91 ZMW 78.1
120.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$4.68 ZMW 93.5
133.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$2.49 ZMW 49.80
4.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.65 ZMW 32.99
-12.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$2.81 ZMW 56.2
-30.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$1.15 ZMW 23.01
84.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$1.90 ZMW 37.92
-2.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$1.32 ZMW 26.44
68.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.92 ZMW 18.37
10.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.48 ZMW 9.53
116.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$2.42 ZMW 48.44
67.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$7.40 ZMW 148
37.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$1.14 ZMW 22.74
48.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$1.59 ZMW 31.67
64.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$1.04 ZMW 20.68
-50.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$38.21 ZMW 763
-30.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$2.81 ZMW 56.2
12.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$1.17 ZMW 23.38
110.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$9.34 ZMW 187
-65.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$1.23 ZMW 24.59
7.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$8,063 ZMW 161.1K
273.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$29.0K ZMW 579.4K
-18.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$91.3 ZMW 1,825
-8.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$53.3 ZMW 1,064
-57.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$126 ZMW 2,515
-76.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$45.32 ZMW 906
14.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$13.95 ZMW 279
31.18%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$4.13 ZMW 82.5
23.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$179 ZMW 3,578
12.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$9,680 ZMW 193.4K
-45.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$18.79 ZMW 375
90.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$16.87 ZMW 337
138.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$85.4 ZMW 1,707
-7.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$72.9 ZMW 1,457
22.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$230 ZMW 4,588
312.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$124 ZMW 2,469
290.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$1,032 ZMW 20.6K
54.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$598 ZMW 12.0K
102.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$1,935 ZMW 38.7K
106.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$3,782 ZMW 75.6K
69.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$344 ZMW 6,868
112.26%
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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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