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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 17.9% more expensive than Zihuatanejo without rent, and 12.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 0.9% more expensive than Zihuatanejo without rent, and 24.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$10.60 MX$190
11.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$39.78 MX$712
5.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$7.71 MX$138
39.43%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$3.21 MX$57.5
8.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$1.24 MX$22.19
16.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.97 MX$17.36
-7.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.44 MX$43.67
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$3.89 MX$69.6
13.62%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.49 MX$26.62
-8.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$3.54 MX$63.4
-47.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.54 MX$27.61
-
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$4.11 MX$73.6
-39.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$7.82 MX$140
10.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$7.83 MX$140
10.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$10.49 MX$188
5.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.59 MX$46.28
6.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.45 MX$25.87
-1.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.80 MX$32.15
3.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.67 MX$29.84
29.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.93 MX$34.63
-2.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.93 MX$34.57
16.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.22 MX$21.83
-12.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.99 MX$17.67
8.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$4.11 MX$73.6
0.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$10.55 MX$189
-1.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.53 MX$27.44
9.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.74 MX$49.02
-9.49%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.64 MX$11.46
-14.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$2.66 MX$47.58
21.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$1.61 MX$28.78
54.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$8.32 MX$149
-62.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.26 MX$22.51
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$21.2K MX$379.9K
44.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$22.8K MX$407.9K
5.48%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$57.1 MX$1,021
44.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$10.15 MX$182
119.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$27.61 MX$494
8.73%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$36.14 MX$647
42.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$16.13 MX$289
13.39%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$4.66 MX$83.4
6.87%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$209 MX$3,738
-4.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$3,534 MX$63.3K
50.09%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$52.2 MX$934
-31.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$39.42 MX$706
0.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$89.2 MX$1,597
-9.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$80.7 MX$1,445
9.39%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$499 MX$8,936
94.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$394 MX$7,050
22.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$927 MX$16.6K
72.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$769 MX$13.8K
53.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$2,239 MX$40.1K
80.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$1,350 MX$24.2K
383.26%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
11.48
-0.52%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: 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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