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Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zalau Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zalau

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 55.6% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 25% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 61.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 MX$210
$7.99 RONย 35.02
48.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.90 MX$740
$34.15 RONย 150
22.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.55 MX$186
$5.85 RONย 25.63
80.34%
Cappuccino
$3.60 MX$63.5
$2.02 RONย 8.85
78.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$26.45
$1.98 RONย 8.66
-24.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.09
$1.76 RONย 7.72
-48.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.08 MX$54.4
$2.83 RONย 12.37
8.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$78.8
$2.71 RONย 11.89
64.94%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$24.54
$1.51 RONย 6.63
-7.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 MX$33.47
$1.27 RONย 5.58
49.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 MX$28.27
$1.36 RONย 5.95
17.65%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.97
$2.18 RONย 9.57
19.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.36 MX$148
$7.79 RONย 34.11
7.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.64 MX$152
$6.06 RONย 26.54
42.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 MX$192
$8.87 RONย 38.85
23.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 MX$45.98
$0.94 RONย 4.11
177.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$25.46
$1.58 RONย 6.90
-8.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.55
$1.57 RONย 6.89
24.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$37.34
$2.15 RONย 9.40
-1.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.87
$0.66 RONย 2.87
181.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 MX$39.20
$0.68 RONย 2.97
226.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 MX$17.99
$0.68 RONย 2.98
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 MX$18.36
$0.91 RONย 3.99
14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.05 MX$71.5
$5.37 RONย 23.52
-24.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 MX$180
$5.72 RONย 25.04
77.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$29.79
$0.99 RONย 4.33
70.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 MX$46.25
$1.29 RONย 5.64
103.10%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.09
$0.96 RONย 4.19
-46.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.52 MX$468
$19.43 RONย 85.1
36.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 MX$55.7
$0.95 RONย 4.16
231.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.46 MX$43.49
$0.85 RONย 3.73
189.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 MX$57.5
$9.09 RONย 39.81
-64.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$23.36
$1.60 RONย 7.02
-17.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.1K MX$531.0K
$28.6K RONย 125.2K
5.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$419.3K
$26.8K RONย 117.3K
-11.30%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,474
$141 RONย 618
-40.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.86 MX$404
$4.65 RONย 20.36
391.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$530
$6.82 RONย 29.89
340.47%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 MX$916
$35.64 RONย 156
45.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.30 MX$323
$18.83 RONย 82.5
-2.81%
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 MX$90.4
$5.69 RONย 24.91
-10.02%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,541
$427 RONย 1,869
-52.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,318 MX$93.9K
$6,995 RONย 30.6K
-23.98%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.73 MX$631
$56.7 RONย 248
-36.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.27 MX$711
$37.54 RONย 164
7.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 MX$1,398
$63.3 RONย 277
25.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,576
$67.9 RONย 297
31.55%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$947 MX$16.7K
$385 RONย 1,686
146.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 MX$8,525
$292 RONย 1,279
65.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,599 MX$28.2K
$597 RONย 2,617
167.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 MX$21.4K
$443 RONย 1,939
173.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,996 MX$70.5K
$1,742 RONย 7,630
129.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,402 MX$113.0K
$1,375 RONย 6,021
365.76%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$730 MX$12.9K
$679 RONย 2,976
7.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.5
75.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Zalau: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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