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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 65.3% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 33.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 29.2% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 61.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$8.19 RON 35.57
46.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$34.27 RON 149
23.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$5.72 RON 24.81
83.04%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.01 RON 8.73
79.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$2.07 RON 9
-30.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$1.8 RON 7.82
-50.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.74 RON 11.89
12.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.81 RON 12.21
62.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.45 RON 6.27
-4.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.26 RON 5.48
46.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.42 RON 6.15
10.56%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.24 RON 9.73
13.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$7.75 RON 33.65
11.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$6.06 RON 26.32
40.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.75 RON 37.99
25.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$0.96 RON 4.15
183.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.53 RON 6.65
-1.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.56 RON 6.79
20.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.15 RON 9.33
1.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.71 RON 3.08
163.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$0.71 RON 3.08
208.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.72 RON 3.12
48.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.87 RON 3.8
25.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.5 RON 23.88
-28.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$5.89 RON 25.56
50.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.04 RON 4.51
65.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$1.25 RON 5.43
108.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.95 RON 4.14
-45.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$20.16 RON 87.5
31.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.94 RON 4.09
244.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.8 RON 3.46
197.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$9.34 RON 40.53
-66.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.59 RON 6.92
-17.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$28.1K RON 121.8K
8.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$26K RON 112.9K
-7.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$140 RON 606
-39.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$4.63 RON 20.11
378.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$6.76 RON 29.36
345.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$35.68 RON 155
45.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$19.21 RON 83.4
-2.55%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.6 RON 24.32
-9.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$434 RON 1,885
-53.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,800 RON 29.5K
-21.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$57.5 RON 250
-37.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$38.24 RON 166
4.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$64.3 RON 279
22.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$68.2 RON 296
29.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$383 RON 1,664
151.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$294 RON 1,277
61.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$586 RON 2,542
182.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$440 RON 1,909
173.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,766 RON 7,665
74.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,369 RON 5,942
450.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$666 RON 2,893
18.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
6.5
75.69%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Zalau: October 28, 2025

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