Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $730 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zacatecas $730

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,155 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zacatecas $1,155

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,580 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Zacatecas $1,580

Playa del Carmen costs about 65% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zacatecas are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Zacatecas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$6.06 MX$113

80.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$31.91 MX$595

35.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.17 MX$134

64.30%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.01 MX$56.2

26.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.25 MX$23.33

2.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.72 MX$13.37

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.84 MX$34.23

72.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.13 MX$77.0

19.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.35 MX$25.17

4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$2.15 MX$39.99

3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.53 MX$28.43

-7.19%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.21 MX$41.15

14.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.28 MX$136

-0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.96 MX$111

29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.62 MX$179

31.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.78 MX$33.14

56.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.59 MX$29.65

-13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.93 MX$35.90

32.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.46 MX$27.17

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.99 MX$37.01

-2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.77 MX$33.00

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.58 MX$29.48

-27.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.80 MX$14.89

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.25 MX$79.2

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.27 MX$191

-3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.60 MX$29.78

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.35 MX$62.5

-20.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.53 MX$9.83

3.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$16.07 MX$299

65.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.13 MX$39.75

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.11 MX$20.67

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.49 MX$177

-43.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.46 MX$27.20

-1.37%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.9K MX$389.9K

-1.20%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$23.8K MX$443.3K

-1.32%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$22.72 MX$424

273.20%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$7.97 MX$149

193.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$24.73 MX$461

15.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$24.23 MX$452

135.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.96 MX$148

263.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.24 MX$79.1

21.23%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$235 MX$4,379

-12.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,243 MX$60.5K

21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$44.83 MX$836

-3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$40.16 MX$749

3.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$90.7 MX$1,690

-18.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$42.77 MX$797

108.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$241 MX$4,498

305.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$162 MX$3,024

134.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$381 MX$7,095

348.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$241 MX$4,489

346.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$563 MX$10.5K

992.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$408 MX$7,603

80.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.8

6.02%

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 Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 57.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 11.9% $30

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 35% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 59.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 12% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 51.4% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 48.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $241 in Zacatecas. 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 80% 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 $32 in Zacatecas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $224 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

138,444

💱 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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Playa del Carmen Zacatecas 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Playa del Carmen
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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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 65%, 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 $1,096 in Zacatecas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $241 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $730 in Zacatecas. That makes Zacatecas about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Zacatecas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $730 in Zacatecas to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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