Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $426 in Mbeya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mbeya $426

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $656 in Mbeya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Mbeya $656

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $887 in Mbeya, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Mbeya $887

Playa del Carmen costs about 183% more than Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Mbeya are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Mbeya 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

94.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

51.35%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.52 TZS 3,989

142.11%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.37 TZS 958

262.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.37 TZS 964

121.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$0.72 TZS 1,882

325.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.55 TZS 1,435

167.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.93 TZS 2,430

138.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.92 TZS 2,414

60.87%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.32 TZS 6,067

7.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.80 TZS 9,949

97.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.72 TZS 9,734

113.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$3.30 TZS 8,643

280.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.15 TZS 3,003

141.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.78 TZS 2,051

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.99 TZS 2,581

164.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$0.73 TZS 1,917

193.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.97 TZS 2,538

108.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.78 TZS 2,053

155.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.56 TZS 1,465

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.72 TZS 1,883

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.14 TZS 2,998

273.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$3.72 TZS 9,744

169.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.78 TZS 2,045

97.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.16 TZS 3,038

129.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.40 TZS 1,036

32.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.10 TZS 2,891

345.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.85 TZS 4,834

85.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$2.61 TZS 6,831

106.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.22 TZS 3,204

18.85%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

260.47%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

24.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

-38.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

64.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

-46.32%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$191 TZS 500.6K

5.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

249.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

288.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

348.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

281.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

243.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$114 TZS 297.4K

762.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

388.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$187 TZS 491.0K

796.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$112 TZS 292.3K

881.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$191 TZS 501.5K

285.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-11.92%

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 Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 79.5% $296

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Mbeya

$115 26.9% 55.6% $144

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3% 76% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 35.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mbeya

$30 7% 73.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Mbeya

$57 13.3% 21.6% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 77% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $114 in Mbeya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 285% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Mbeya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $115 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

541,603

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mbeya 13,520 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 183%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $639 in Mbeya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbeya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $426 in Mbeya. That's a gap of about 183%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $191 in Mbeya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Mbeya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbeya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbeya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.