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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 23.5% more expensive than Zărnești without rent, and 24% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 12.6% more expensive than Zărnești without rent, and 51.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$8.75 RON 38.49
35.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$40.94 RON 180
2.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$8.71 RON 38.33
23.42%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.31 RON 10.18
50.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.28 RON 5.62
13.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$1.16 RON 5.10
-22.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.20 RON 9.69
38.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$2.83 RON 12.46
56.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.34 RON 5.89
2.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.13 RON 4.97
65.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.60 RON 7.04
-3.75%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$3.02 RON 13.29
-17.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$8.45 RON 37.19
1.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$5.16 RON 22.71
67.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$12.36 RON 54.4
-10.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$1.01 RON 4.44
172.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.30 RON 5.73
10.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.34 RON 5.92
39.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.35 RON 5.93
60.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.95 RON 4.17
97.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$0.94 RON 4.13
139.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.75 RON 3.28
42.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.81 RON 3.55
32.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$5.64 RON 24.80
-26.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$8.16 RON 35.90
26.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.09 RON 4.78
54.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.39 RON 6.12
78.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.67 RON 2.94
-17.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$20.06 RON 88.3
32.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.91 RON 3.99
253.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.87 RON 3.81
185.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$7.42 RON 32.65
-58.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.61 RON 7.07
-21.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$28.4K RON 124.8K
8.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$28.0K RON 123.1K
-14.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$167 RON 736
-50.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$8.24 RON 36.26
170.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$9.99 RON 43.97
200.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$42.10 RON 185
22.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$19.12 RON 84.1
-4.34%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$5.71 RON 25.14
-12.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$426 RON 1,873
-53.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$6,985 RON 30.7K
-24.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$47.61 RON 210
-24.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$29.64 RON 130
33.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$74.2 RON 326
8.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$80.3 RON 353
10.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$393 RON 1,729
146.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$289 RON 1,270
67.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$589 RON 2,590
171.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$437 RON 1,924
170.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$1,594 RON 7,014
154.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$1,404 RON 6,176
364.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zărnești
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$544 RON 2,393
39.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
8.17
39.78%

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 Zărnești: 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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