Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zambia
For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more -
Zambia Living Index44Cost of Living Index in ZambiaLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 31.7% more expensive than Zambia without rent, and 34.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 25.9% more expensive than Zambia without rent, and 32.1% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$6.84 ZMW 136
60.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$30.13 ZMW 597
48.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$5.20 ZMW 103
129.23%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$3.03 ZMW 60.1
25.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$0.78 ZMW 15.38
67.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$0.49 ZMW 9.72
75.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$1.30 ZMW 25.73
146.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$2.53 ZMW 50.3
98.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$1.88 ZMW 37.25
-22.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$1.23 ZMW 24.32
89.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$2.44 ZMW 48.42
-40.98%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$1.84 ZMW 36.42
33.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$10.44 ZMW 207
-26.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$6.54 ZMW 130
20.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$6.13 ZMW 122
108.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$3.48 ZMW 68.9
-16.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$2.14 ZMW 42.42
-33.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$3.51 ZMW 69.5
-26.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$1.57 ZMW 31.15
36.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$2.81 ZMW 55.7
-30.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$1.90 ZMW 37.77
2.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$1.15 ZMW 22.88
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$0.71 ZMW 14.09
71.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$2.84 ZMW 56.3
54.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$10.13 ZMW 201
-2.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$1.41 ZMW 27.94
9.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$2.10 ZMW 41.62
29.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$0.98 ZMW 19.52
-46.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$50.2 ZMW 995
-45.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$2.57 ZMW 50.9
91.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$1.69 ZMW 33.60
108.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$8.94 ZMW 177
-36.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.46 ZMW 28.88
5.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$6,225 ZMW 123.4K
241.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$38.8K ZMW 768.5K
-36.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$89.7 ZMW 1,778
-6.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$10.95 ZMW 217
119.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$58.9 ZMW 1,169
-50.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$50.3 ZMW 998
28.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$16.39 ZMW 325
79.74%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$6.80 ZMW 135
-25.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$142 ZMW 2,821
45.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$16.8K ZMW 333.1K
-75.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$24.56 ZMW 487
81.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$14.64 ZMW 290
187.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$59.2 ZMW 1,174
27.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$75.9 ZMW 1,505
20.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$453 ZMW 8,980
117.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$174 ZMW 3,443
121.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,074 ZMW 21.3K
59.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$720 ZMW 14.3K
54.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$3,941 ZMW 78.1K
1.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$6,414 ZMW 127.2K
-2.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zambia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$428 ZMW 8,485
77.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
26.25
-56.38%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4%
Zambia $174 19.2% 54.9% $212
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2%
Zambia $240 26.5% 8% $21
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6%
Zambia $123 13.7% 39.5% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2%
Zambia $160 17.7% 16.5% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3%
Zambia $78 8.7% 31.2% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1%
Zambia $64 7.1% 14.8% $11
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2%
Zambia $65 7.2% 25.2% $13
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5%
Zambia $720 31.4% 35.1% $389
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8%
Zambia $551 24% 8.5% $51
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8%
Zambia $401 17.5% 36.6% $231
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3%
Zambia $170 7.4% 5.9% $9.5
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3%
Zambia $174 7.6% 31.3% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9%
Zambia $144 6.3% 19.7% $35
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5%
Zambia $132 5.8% 25.8% $27
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇿🇲 Zambia
Weather
Population
149,923
19,610,769
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Playa del Carmen Zambia 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
- Playa del Carmen
- Zambia
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,351
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
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