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 134.8% more expensive than Zanzibar without rent, and 180.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 70% more expensive than Zanzibar without rent, and 220.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$4.80 TZS 12.5K
141.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$22.36 TZS 58.3K
91.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$5.67 TZS 14.8K
86.95%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.25 TZS 5,859
59.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.60 TZS 1,566
141.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.33 TZS 862
172.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.96 TZS 5,096
54.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.64 TZS 6,874
72.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.79 TZS 4,668
-18.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.73 TZS 1,894
150.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.88 TZS 2,287
82.95%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.88 TZS 7,514
-11.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$2.28 TZS 5,947
271.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$4.67 TZS 12.2K
132.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.83 TZS 7,375
-3.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.19 TZS 3,110
25.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$0.79 TZS 2,053
145.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.61 TZS 1,584
254.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.02 TZS 2,646
81.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.56 TZS 4,078
40.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.74 TZS 1,921
44.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.49 TZS 1,287
120.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$2.02 TZS 5,263
100.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$9.48 TZS 24.7K
10.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.75 TZS 4,563
-5.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$1.33 TZS 3,465
91.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.61 TZS 1,589
-8.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$2.79 TZS 7,263
16.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.16 TZS 3,017
12.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$10.46 TZS 27.3K
111.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$23.01 TZS 60.0K
27.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$21.50 TZS 56.0K
138.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$9.58 TZS 25.0K
-48.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$13.56 TZS 35.3K
164.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$17.17 TZS 44.7K
129.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$15.27 TZS 39.8K
425.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$13.50 TZS 35.2K
548.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$149 TZS 389.0K
545.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$99.8 TZS 260.1K
383.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$200 TZS 521.7K
721.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$147 TZS 383.2K
710.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$37.8K TZS 98.4M
-89.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$11.5K TZS 30.1M
-43.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zanzibar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$321 TZS 836.7K
126.24%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: 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

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities