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 10% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 47.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 29.7% more expensive than Lusaka without rent, and 47.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$7.35 ZMW 141
61.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$25.43 ZMW 487
65.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$3.70 ZMW 70.7
190.54%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.93 ZMW 36.94
79.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.69 ZMW 13.18
110.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.36 ZMW 6.92
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$0.89 ZMW 17.03
242.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$1.81 ZMW 34.56
144.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.26 ZMW 24.17
8.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.74 ZMW 14.17
152.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.59 ZMW 30.35
-3.14%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.82 ZMW 34.85
37.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.93 ZMW 152
8.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.83 ZMW 73.2
125.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$4.61 ZMW 88.2
139.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.61 ZMW 49.95
5.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.61 ZMW 30.78
-11.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.69 ZMW 51.5
-30.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.12 ZMW 21.45
93.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.88 ZMW 35.99
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.39 ZMW 26.56
61.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.94 ZMW 18.05
13.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.52 ZMW 9.88
105.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$2.52 ZMW 48.29
64.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$7.48 ZMW 143
38.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.14 ZMW 21.82
47.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.56 ZMW 29.94
58.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.95 ZMW 18.25
-42.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$38.75 ZMW 741
-31.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$2.77 ZMW 53.0
16.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$1.15 ZMW 21.92
115.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$9.03 ZMW 173
-65.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.20 ZMW 22.89
5.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$8,118 ZMW 155.3K
277.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$28.1K ZMW 536.8K
-14.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$90.3 ZMW 1,727
-8.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$52.0 ZMW 994
-57.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$127 ZMW 2,433
-76.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$44.62 ZMW 854
15.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$13.95 ZMW 267
31.11%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$4.14 ZMW 79.2
20.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$176 ZMW 3,358
13.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$9,737 ZMW 186.3K
-45.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$19.25 ZMW 368
85.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$17.30 ZMW 331
128.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$84.4 ZMW 1,614
-4.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$74.4 ZMW 1,423
18.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$225 ZMW 4,303
330.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$123 ZMW 2,360
290.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,056 ZMW 20.2K
51.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$583 ZMW 11.2K
103.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$1,942 ZMW 37.2K
108.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$3,863 ZMW 73.9K
68.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lusaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$348 ZMW 6,666
117.08%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: March 1, 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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