Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $872 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $872 in Lusaka.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lusaka $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,488 in Lusaka.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Lusaka $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,103 in Lusaka.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Lusaka $2,103

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 38% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Lusaka 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$5.58 ZMW 111

94.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$29.94 ZMW 595

47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.99 ZMW 99.3

135.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.84 ZMW 56.5

29.58%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.77 ZMW 15.27

74.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.46 ZMW 9.13

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.27 ZMW 25.34

140.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.30 ZMW 45.73

114.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.69 ZMW 33.64

-13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

89.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.01 ZMW 39.99

-26.37%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.96 ZMW 39.04

27.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.49 ZMW 209

-28.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.34 ZMW 126

25.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.61 ZMW 131

90.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.30 ZMW 65.6

-15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.45 ZMW 48.81

-41.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.66 ZMW 72.8

-28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.57 ZMW 31.27

36.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.52 ZMW 50.1

-19.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.79 ZMW 35.66

11.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.12 ZMW 22.24

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.74 ZMW 14.75

62.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.94 ZMW 58.5

44.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$10.09 ZMW 201

-0.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.42 ZMW 28.21

8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.32 ZMW 46.18

14.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.97 ZMW 19.35

-45.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$50.0 ZMW 995

-45.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.46 ZMW 48.89

99.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.52 ZMW 30.18

125.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$4.99 ZMW 99.2

7.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.51 ZMW 29.99

-3.97%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$7,644 ZMW 152.0K

176.80%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$27.8K ZMW 553.6K

-17.30%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$81.7 ZMW 1,626

4.44%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.28 ZMW 204

128.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$54.4 ZMW 1,081

-47.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$55.1 ZMW 1,096

12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.21 ZMW 303

88.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.03 ZMW 120

-15.42%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$139 ZMW 2,774

44.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

-76.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$23.04 ZMW 458

92.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$15.19 ZMW 302

172.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$45.38 ZMW 903

60.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$380 ZMW 7,564

157.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$177 ZMW 3,513

111.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,067 ZMW 21.2K

57.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$593 ZMW 11.8K

84.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,895 ZMW 37.7K

108.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$5,017 ZMW 99.8K

22.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$316 ZMW 6,290

133.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-60.52%

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 Lusaka: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Lusaka

$177 20.3% 52.6% $196

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Lusaka

$238 27.3% 8% $21

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Lusaka

$110 12.6% 45.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lusaka

$146 16.8% 6.6% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lusaka

$70 8.1% 36.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 7.2% $5.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 23.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $380 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 133% 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 $30.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $238 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lusaka 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lusaka

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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Lusaka differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $872 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% 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 $380 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $872 in Lusaka – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 82% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $872 in Lusaka versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.