Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $714 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
Learn more

Zamboanga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $714 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Zamboanga $714

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,076 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zamboanga $1,076

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,438 in Zamboanga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Zamboanga $1,438

Playa del Carmen costs about 68% more than Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zamboanga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zamboanga 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$198

$1.31 ₱82.7

714.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$813

$16.52 ₱1,047

165.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.32 ₱210

255.12%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.3

$2.05 ₱130

84.88%

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

$1.30 MX$24.09

$0.91 ₱57.5

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.48

$0.39 ₱24.93

112.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.4

$1.45 ₱91.7

117.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.6

$1.95 ₱123

152.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.80 ₱114

-21.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.77

$1.38 ₱87.4

59.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.35

$1.10 ₱69.9

33.64%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.37

$1.44 ₱91.1

73.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$135

$4.69 ₱298

55.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.88 ₱246

104.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$3.13 ₱198

310.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.8

$3.00 ₱190

-3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.69

$1.20 ₱75.9

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.26

$3.78 ₱240

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.15 ₱73.1

76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.61

$1.18 ₱74.8

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$2.40 ₱152

-20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.25

$0.85 ₱53.8

34.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.01

$0.49 ₱31.25

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$2.69 ₱170

58.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$182

$4.22 ₱268

132.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.45

$1.30 ₱82.4

22.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.0

$1.99 ₱126

38.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.56

$0.17 ₱11.04

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$509

$12.49 ₱791

119.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.4

$0.74 ₱47.15

543.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.3

$0.22 ₱13.92

1377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$1.90 ₱121

183.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.38

$0.97 ₱61.5

57.73%

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

$21.2K MX$393.9K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

1.62%

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

$23.3K MX$432.0K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

25.14%

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

$83.5 MX$1,550

$118 ₱7,496

-29.41%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$15.47 ₱981

49.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$513

$47.75 ₱3,027

-42.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,048

$35.86 ₱2,273

57.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$524

$5.11 ₱324

451.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$92.9

$5.02 ₱318

-0.40%

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

$207 MX$3,846

$131 ₱8,285

58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.1K

$7,774 ₱492.7K

-32.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$807

$32.15 ₱2,037

35.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$790

$19.42 ₱1,231

119.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,351

$71.8 ₱4,548

1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,641

$54.0 ₱3,422

63.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$250 ₱15.8K

298.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,102

$166 ₱10.5K

130.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.1K

$329 ₱20.8K

409.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$353 ₱22.4K

206.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.6K

$2,668 ₱169.1K

46.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.0K

$1,111 ₱70.4K

452.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$191 ₱12.1K

335.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.92

65.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Zamboanga

$166 23.3% 56.6% $216

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Zamboanga

$165 23% 36.1% $93

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Zamboanga

$61 8.6% 69.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Zamboanga

$181 25.4% 35.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Zamboanga

$80 11.2% 28.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Zamboanga

$46 6.4% 30.9% $21

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zamboanga

$15 2.1% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $250 in Zamboanga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Zamboanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $165 – making Zamboanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zamboanga 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,071 in Zamboanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zamboanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $714 in Zamboanga. That makes Zamboanga about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Zamboanga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zamboanga, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Zamboanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zamboanga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Zamboanga. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.