Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zatec

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Zatec: $1,204 and $1,232 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Zatec
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Zatec Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zatec

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,232 in Zatec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zatec $1,232

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,931 in Zatec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Zatec $1,931

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,630 in Zatec, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Zatec $2,630

Playa del Carmen is about 2% cheaper than Zatec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zatec are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zatec 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.77 Kč 146

60.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$18.11 Kč 392

144.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.92 Kč 193

31.84%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.95 Kč 63.9

24.75%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.71 Kč 15.31

88.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.88 Kč 18.98

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.33 Kč 50.5

31.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.71 Kč 58.5

82.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.83 Kč 17.85

77.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.33 Kč 28.76

66.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.24 Kč 48.54

-33.93%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.45 Kč 53.0

1.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$5.88 Kč 127

27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$5.50 Kč 119

44.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$7.07 Kč 153

77.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.26 Kč 27.29

120.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.56 Kč 33.84

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.06 Kč 44.60

27.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$3.29 Kč 71.2

-34.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.94 Kč 20.25

114.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.09 Kč 23.63

82.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.54 Kč 33.38

-25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.55 Kč 11.99

118.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$5.92 Kč 128

-28.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$5.36 Kč 116

86.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.89 Kč 19.21

73.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.70 Kč 36.86

56.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.33 Kč 7.22

60.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$25.19 Kč 545

9.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.79 Kč 60.4

75.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.85 Kč 39.96

85.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$16.44 Kč 355

-67.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.86 Kč 40.18

-22.04%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$31.5K Kč 680.6K

-32.77%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$30.1K Kč 651.7K

-23.62%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$299 Kč 6,474

-71.48%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$22.74 Kč 492

3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.72 Kč 405

51.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$54.6 Kč 1,181

13.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$17.30 Kč 374

65.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$12.95 Kč 280

-60.62%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$726 Kč 15.7K

-72.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.4K Kč 247.4K

-65.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$86.8 Kč 1,877

-48.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$36.82 Kč 796

12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$45.55 Kč 985

59.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$120 Kč 2,602

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$360 Kč 7,792

171.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$318 Kč 6,886

17.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,210 Kč 26.2K

38.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$928 Kč 20.1K

18.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,620 Kč 99.9K

-14.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$3,448 Kč 74.6K

77.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$1,146 Kč 24.8K

-35.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.67

145.18%

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 Zatec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Zatec

$318 25.9% 14.6% $54

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Zatec

$183 14.9% 29% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Zatec

$140 11.4% 30.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zatec

$341 27.7% 148% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zatec

$130 10.6% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Zatec

$80 6.5% 11.2% $8.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Zatec

$39 3.1% 25.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $360 in Zatec. 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 55% higher in Zatec, 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 $18.00 in Zatec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $183 – making Zatec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇿 Zatec

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

19,522

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zatec 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zatec

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 Zatec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zatec is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,848 in Zatec. 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 $1,232 in Zatec. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 9% 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 Zatec at $1,232. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zatec 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, Zatec makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.