Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zanzibar Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zanzibar

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 144.6% more expensive than Zanzibar without rent, and 179.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 100.3% more expensive than Zanzibar without rent, and 211% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$4.86 TZS 12.3K
143.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$21.91 TZS 55.5K
92.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$5.67 TZS 14.4K
89.59%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.17 TZS 5,495
59.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.64 TZS 1,609
126.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.31 TZS 784
190.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$1.92 TZS 4,852
58.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.68 TZS 6,793
64.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.78 TZS 4,499
-23.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.73 TZS 1,848
156.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.82 TZS 2,075
87.80%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.98 TZS 7,539
-16.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$2.26 TZS 5,729
281.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$4.63 TZS 11.7K
138.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.88 TZS 7,301
-4.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.18 TZS 2,999
21.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.74 TZS 1,868
152.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$0.56 TZS 1,415
287.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.93 TZS 2,364
102.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.52 TZS 3,851
48.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.80 TZS 2,036
33.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.49 TZS 1,254
118.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$2.09 TZS 5,296
98.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$9.88 TZS 25.0K
4.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.73 TZS 4,372
-2.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.39 TZS 3,509
78.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.60 TZS 1,530
-8.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$2.64 TZS 6,679
17.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.22 TZS 3,096
3.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$10.32 TZS 26.2K
115.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$23.32 TZS 59.1K
28.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$21.42 TZS 54.3K
140.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$9.70 TZS 24.6K
-48.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$13.14 TZS 33.3K
171.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$17.21 TZS 43.6K
129.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$15.24 TZS 38.6K
428.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$13.56 TZS 34.3K
551.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$149 TZS 377.4K
550.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$101 TZS 254.6K
379.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$200 TZS 505.6K
699.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$147 TZS 371.6K
706.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$38.8K TZS 98.3M
-89.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$11.7K TZS 29.6M
-44.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$329 TZS 834.3K
129.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10
14.20%

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 Zanzibar: 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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