Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zapopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,509 in Zapopan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zapopan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
Learn more

Zapopan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,509 in Zapopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zapopan $1,509

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,182 in Zapopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Zapopan $2,182

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,856 in Zapopan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Zapopan $2,856

Playa del Carmen is about 20% cheaper than Zapopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Zapopan is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$10.79 MX$199

0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$32.37 MX$598

36.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.03 MX$204

6.62%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.63 MX$67.2

1.38%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.16 MX$21.42

15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.12 MX$20.67

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.20 MX$40.62

39.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.39 MX$81.1

12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.48 MX$27.28

-0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.63 MX$48.56

-15.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.16 MX$21.35

27.59%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.83 MX$52.3

-12.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$8.28 MX$153

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$9.90 MX$183

-19.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.72 MX$180

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.91 MX$53.7

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.37 MX$25.41

4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.77 MX$32.64

48.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.16 MX$39.85

-0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.24 MX$41.36

-9.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.48 MX$45.84

-19.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.86 MX$34.38

-38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.17 MX$21.57

2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.54 MX$102

-23.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$6.53 MX$121

53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.78 MX$32.89

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.85 MX$52.7

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.54 MX$10.02

-1.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$32.91 MX$608

-16.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.47 MX$45.58

98.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$2.40 MX$44.30

42.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$9.32 MX$172

-42.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.49 MX$27.55

-2.68%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.4K MX$450.2K

-13.16%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.0K MX$443.3K

-4.05%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$123 MX$2,275

-30.66%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$24.57 MX$454

-4.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$29.39 MX$543

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$43.59 MX$805

42.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.55 MX$250

111.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$5.56 MX$103

-8.27%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$166 MX$3,061

21.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,914 MX$127.8K

-42.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$45.52 MX$841

-2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$25.36 MX$469

63.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$73.6 MX$1,359

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$117 MX$2,170

-23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$985 MX$18.2K

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$656 MX$12.1K

-43.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,671 MX$30.9K

0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,014 MX$18.7K

8.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$5,703 MX$105.4K

-30.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,501 MX$27.7K

308.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$979 MX$18.1K

-24.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.3

1.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zapopan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Zapopan

$656 43.5% 75.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Zapopan

$262 17.4% 1.4% $3.5

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Zapopan

$192 12.7% 4.2% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zapopan

$177 11.7% 29% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zapopan

$118 7.8% 5.5% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Zapopan

$55 3.6% 24.4% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Zapopan

$50 3.3% 4.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $985 in Zapopan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Zapopan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $32.00 in Zapopan. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $262 in Zapopan – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,257,547

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zapopan 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zapopan

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 Zapopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zapopan is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,263 in Zapopan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,509 in Zapopan. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Zapopan at $1,509. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zapopan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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