Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zapresic

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,524 in Zapresic, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Zapresic
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Zapresic Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Zapresic

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,524 in Zapresic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Zapresic $1,524

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,280 in Zapresic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Zapresic $2,280

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,035 in Zapresic, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Zapresic $3,035

Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper than Zapresic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Zapresic is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$11.63 €10.40

-8.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$55.5 €49.64

-21.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.96 €8.01

31.58%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.62 €2.34

44.66%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$3.18 €2.84

-59.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$2.62 €2.34

-68.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.29 €2.94

-4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.38 €3.91

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.20 €1.08

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.56 €1.40

41.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.83 €2.53

-48.06%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.58 €3.20

-30.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.66 €10.42

-37.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$8.49 €7.59

-6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.56 €10.34

11.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.71 €1.53

69.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.67 €1.49

-17.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.90 €1.70

31.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$2.45 €2.19

-17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.27 €1.14

59.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.25 €1.12

52.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.18 €1.06

-3.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.19 €1.06

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$5.86 €5.24

-27.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$8.39 €7.50

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.65 €1.47

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.00 €1.79

37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.66 €1.48

-69.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$45.19 €40.41

-39.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$2.20 €1.97

116.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.09 €0.98

198.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$12.55 €11.22

-57.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.83 €1.64

-16.39%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$27.5K €24.6K

-22.75%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$24.7K €22.1K

-5.75%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$196 €175

-57.37%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$21.24 €19.00

9.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$37.96 €33.94

-27.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$52.8 €47.19

6.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$14.99 €13.41

88.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$10.24 €9.15

-51.17%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$416 €372

-50.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$4,468 €3,996

17.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$91.0 €81.4

-52.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$38.03 €34.01

11.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$94.8 €84.8

-23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$109 €97.9

-19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$693 €620

43.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$529 €473

-27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,199 €1,073

39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$873 €780

23.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$4,087 €3,654

-4.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$2,863 €2,560

114.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,597 €1,428

-47.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.67

211.99%

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 Zapresic: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Zapresic

$529 34.7% 38.3% $146

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Zapresic

$258 16.9% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Zapresic

$200 13.1% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Zapresic

$255 16.7% 89.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Zapresic

$150 9.8% 34.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Zapresic

$73 4.8% 10.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Zapresic

$59 3.9% 17.9% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $693 in Zapresic. 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 92% higher in Zapresic. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $56 in Zapresic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇭🇷 Zapresic

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

24,133

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Zapresic 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zapresic

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 Zapresic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zapresic is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,287 in Zapresic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zapresic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $693 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,524 in Zapresic. That makes Playa del Carmen about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $416 in Zapresic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Zapresic at $1,524. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zapresic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,524 in Zapresic. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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