Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $719 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $719 in Ndola, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ndola $719

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,721 in Ndola, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ndola $1,721

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,723 in Ndola, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ndola $2,723

Playa del Carmen costs about 67% more than Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ndola are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ndola 47% 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

$30.02 ZMW 597

47.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

135.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

33.33%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

157.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

241.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

150.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

123.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

-10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

88.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

-30.52%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

59.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.15 ZMW 202

-25.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$6.18 ZMW 123

28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$6.71 ZMW 133

87.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

89.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

-40.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

-29.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

38.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

-20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

10.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

106.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

37.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.83 ZMW 196

1.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

5.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

13.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

-26.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

90.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

124.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.03 ZMW 100

6.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

7.41%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

186.21%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

-14.38%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

6.38%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$10.45 ZMW 208

124.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

-48.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.04 ZMW 120

-15.56%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$135 ZMW 2,692

48.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

-75.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$23.64 ZMW 470

87.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$15.39 ZMW 306

168.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$45.69 ZMW 909

59.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

25.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$177 ZMW 3,526

452.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$148 ZMW 2,948

151.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$370 ZMW 7,365

353.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

-26.08%

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

$596 ZMW 11.9K

23.69%

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 Ndola: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ndola

$148 20.6% 60.2% $225

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ndola

$223 31.1% 13.5% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ndola

$106 14.8% 46.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ndola

$146 20.3% 6.3% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ndola

$70 9.8% 37.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 83.3% $60

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 74.7% $39

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 $177 in Ndola. 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 24% 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 $30.00 in Ndola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $223 – making Ndola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

455,194

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Ndola 13,160 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, 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 $1,079 in Ndola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $30.00 in Ndola. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ndola, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ndola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Ndola. 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.