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 37.9% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 34.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 60.6% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 59.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$210
$7.93 RON 34.72
49.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$746
$34.85 RON 153
20.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.67 RON 24.84
89.59%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.5
$2.13 RON 9.31
62.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.72
$2.02 RON 8.83
-28.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.98
$1.71 RON 7.47
-47.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.1
$2.80 RON 12.26
8.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.2
$2.83 RON 12.40
56.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.24
$1.45 RON 6.37
-5.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.14
$1.27 RON 5.56
47.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.32
$1.40 RON 6.12
10.00%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.31
$2.19 RON 9.57
14.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$7.95 RON 34.81
8.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$153
$6.15 RON 26.92
40.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$9.03 RON 39.53
22.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.67
$0.87 RON 3.83
216.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.28
$1.56 RON 6.85
-8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.15
$1.64 RON 7.20
14.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.37
$2.23 RON 9.75
-2.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.33
$0.67 RON 2.92
180.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.76
$0.66 RON 2.90
240.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.90
$0.70 RON 3.08
52.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.00
$0.93 RON 4.08
15.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.5
$5.38 RON 23.54
-22.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$183
$5.80 RON 25.40
78.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.72
$0.99 RON 4.32
69.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.97
$1.24 RON 5.41
100.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.82
$0.90 RON 3.94
-38.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$470
$20.16 RON 88.3
31.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.9
$0.94 RON 4.11
242.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.93
$0.79 RON 3.45
213.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.0
$9.40 RON 41.19
-66.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.22
$1.66 RON 7.25
-24.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$542.7K
$28.4K RON 124.5K
7.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$425.5K
$26.3K RON 115.2K
-8.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,460
$141 RON 617
-41.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$394
$4.51 RON 19.75
394.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$531
$6.85 RON 30.00
338.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$911
$36.31 RON 159
41.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$324
$19.33 RON 84.7
-5.38%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.2
$5.74 RON 25.12
-13.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,540
$434 RON 1,903
-53.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.9K
$6,946 RON 30.4K
-23.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$632
$56.6 RON 248
-36.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$700
$38.89 RON 170
1.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,426
$63.6 RON 279
26.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,563
$69.7 RON 305
26.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$385 RON 1,685
152.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,535
$291 RON 1,277
65.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$581 RON 2,544
174.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.0K
$442 RON 1,938
167.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.7K
$1,729 RON 7,571
134.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.4K
$1,427 RON 6,249
357.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$685 RON 3,002
10.36%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Zalau: March 2, 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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