Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zacapoaxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
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Zacapoaxtla Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zacapoaxtla $1,055

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zacapoaxtla $1,651

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Zacapoaxtla $2,246

Playa del Carmen costs about 14% more than Zacapoaxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zacapoaxtla are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Zacapoaxtla 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.67 MX$87.0

133.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$48.73 MX$908

-11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.50 MX$103

114.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.92 MX$35.71

98.44%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.95 MX$17.79

34.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.22 MX$22.68

-36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.20 MX$22.39

164.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.14 MX$39.86

130.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.25 MX$23.35

12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.12 MX$20.83

98.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.06 MX$19.84

33.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.65 MX$30.82

52.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.41 MX$213

-36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.56 MX$85.0

68.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$4.96 MX$92.5

155.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.59 MX$29.62

74.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.26 MX$23.58

8.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.52 MX$9.66

390.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.72 MX$13.41

194.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.77 MX$14.36

151.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.05 MX$19.58

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.92 MX$17.22

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.96 MX$17.89

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.19 MX$78.1

2.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.02 MX$243

-23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.11 MX$20.73

42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$4.44 MX$82.7

-39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.62 MX$11.62

-11.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$30.07 MX$561

-11.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.07 MX$19.85

364.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.53 MX$9.90

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$5.48 MX$102

-2.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.41 MX$26.30

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$13.8K MX$257.3K

49.73%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$24.3K MX$452.2K

-3.27%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$43.05 MX$802

96.96%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$26.42 MX$493

-11.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$31.94 MX$595

-10.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$30.23 MX$564

88.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$17.11 MX$319

68.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.33 MX$118

-18.80%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$439 MX$8,192

-53.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,535 MX$84.5K

-13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$68.5 MX$1,276

-36.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$52.9 MX$985

-21.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$106 MX$1,970

-29.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$114 MX$2,134

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$607 MX$11.3K

61.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$437 MX$8,150

-12.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,014 MX$18.9K

68.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$752 MX$14.0K

42.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,853 MX$34.5K

112.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,018 MX$19.0K

504.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$597 MX$11.1K

23.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.35

0.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4% 14.8% $56

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8% 26.3% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1% 52.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6% 25.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6% 37.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1% 36.3% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4% 28.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $607 in Zacapoaxtla. 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 23% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $49 in Zacapoaxtla. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $188 in Zacapoaxtla – so Zacapoaxtla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zacapoaxtla 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zacapoaxtla

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 Zacapoaxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,583 in Zacapoaxtla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacapoaxtla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla. That’s a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zacapoaxtla. 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.