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 53.8% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 30% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.6% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 63.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$201
$7.96 RON 34.40
45.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$742
$34.98 RON 151
22.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$184
$5.61 RON 24.21
88.95%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.3
$2.13 RON 9.19
68.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.21
$2.07 RON 8.95
-29.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.58
$1.77 RON 7.63
-49.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.6
$2.69 RON 11.61
12.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$79.2
$2.78 RON 12.00
64.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.20
$1.45 RON 6.28
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.72
$1.22 RON 5.25
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.92
$1.42 RON 6.12
13.38%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$44.05
$2.18 RON 9.44
16.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$7.87 RON 33.99
8.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$147
$6.07 RON 26.21
39.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$189
$8.74 RON 37.77
24.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.37
$0.94 RON 4.08
190.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.91
$1.52 RON 6.56
-1.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.73
$1.59 RON 6.87
22.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.57
$2.23 RON 9.63
-3.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$32.05
$0.71 RON 3.05
160.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$38.00
$0.66 RON 2.86
231.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.62
$0.72 RON 3.11
48.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.81
$0.92 RON 3.98
17.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.5
$5.40 RON 23.34
-24.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$182
$5.74 RON 24.81
82.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.71
$0.98 RON 4.25
68.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.23
$1.31 RON 5.64
94.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.65
$0.88 RON 3.80
-36.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$455
$19.61 RON 84.7
33.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.5
$0.94 RON 4.07
234.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$41.17
$0.83 RON 3.59
185.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.2
$9.18 RON 39.64
-64.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.81
$1.66 RON 7.19
-21.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$530.2K
$27.8K RON 120.3K
9.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$413.6K
$26.7K RON 115.1K
-10.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,443
$143 RON 619
-41.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$385
$4.56 RON 19.68
385.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$510
$6.76 RON 29.21
334.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$889
$35.04 RON 151
46.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$324
$18.88 RON 81.6
-1.01%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.9
$5.72 RON 24.71
-14.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,449
$429 RON 1,852
-53.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$90.4K
$6,938 RON 30.0K
-24.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$624
$57.4 RON 248
-37.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$684
$37.63 RON 163
4.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,394
$62.5 RON 270
28.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,520
$69.9 RON 302
25.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.7K
$396 RON 1,710
143.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,370
$294 RON 1,272
63.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.6K
$597 RON 2,580
175.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.7K
$445 RON 1,922
167.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.7K
$1,743 RON 7,530
127.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$113.1K
$1,413 RON 6,102
361.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.6K
$693 RON 2,995
4.76%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Zalau: April 12, 2026

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

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