Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zaltan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaltan: $368 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zaltan

🇱🇾 Libya

$368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $368 in Zaltan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zaltan $368

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $572 in Zaltan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zaltan $572

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $776 in Zaltan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Zaltan $776

Playa del Carmen costs about 227% more than Zaltan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zaltan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Zaltan 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.94 LYD 25.30

177.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$15.80 LYD 101

174.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$2.58 LYD 16.54

356.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 LYD 3.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 LYD 4.39

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$0.44 LYD 2.84

765.91%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.46 LYD 2.96

178.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.10 LYD 0.67

680.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$0.97 LYD 6.25

45.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1010.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.17 LYD 7.50

21.37%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.36 LYD 8.72

85.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$5.29 LYD 33.93

37.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.57 LYD 22.90

115.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.26 LYD 59.4

37.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.30 LYD 14.76

20.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.48 LYD 9.52

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$0.75 LYD 4.78

240.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$0.60 LYD 3.85

253.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.77 LYD 4.96

151.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.50 LYD 3.19

278.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.42 LYD 2.70

173.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.17 LYD 1.09

594.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 LYD 11.67

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 LYD 6.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LYD 5.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.99 LYD 12.79

116.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.81 LYD 5.22

513.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.49 LYD 3.12

579.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.02 LYD 0.14

7100.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$23.8K LYD 152.8K

-13.28%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$21.4K LYD 137.0K

9.86%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$92.1 LYD 591

-7.93%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$5.97 LYD 38.29

292.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$26.61 LYD 171

7.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

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

$207 MX$3,878

$51.8 LYD 332

299.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$1,557 LYD 9,985

152.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$22.38 LYD 144

93.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$17.27 LYD 111

139.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$63.5 LYD 408

16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$67.6 LYD 433

32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Zaltan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Zaltan

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Zaltan

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Zaltan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zaltan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zaltan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Zaltan

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zaltan

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $16 in Zaltan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $117 – making Zaltan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇾 Zaltan

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

15:43 3:43 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.16 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zaltan 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zaltan

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 Zaltan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 227%, 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 $553 in Zaltan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $368 in Zaltan. That makes Zaltan about 69% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $52 in Zaltan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zaltan, where all-in costs run around $368, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zaltan 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 $368 in Zaltan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.