Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Zihuatanejo $1,131

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,824 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Zihuatanejo $1,824

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,517 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Carmen and Zihuatanejo are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Zihuatanejo 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$827

$44.16 MX$827

0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$220

$8.74 MX$164

34.55%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.9

$3.48 MX$65.2

5.75%

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

$1.34 MX$25.11

$1.36 MX$25.45

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.44

$1.02 MX$19.08

-19.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.45 MX$45.89

24.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$92.4

$3.98 MX$74.4

24.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.66 MX$31.05

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.47

$2.55 MX$47.69

-12.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.67

$1.65 MX$30.90

-10.30%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.59

$2.44 MX$45.61

2.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$141

$8.11 MX$152

-7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$149

$8.52 MX$159

-6.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$11.56 MX$216

8.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$2.72 MX$51.0

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.56 MX$29.27

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.99

$1.94 MX$36.39

35.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.99

$1.77 MX$33.10

20.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.86

$1.94 MX$36.24

4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.21

$1.88 MX$35.15

5.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$1.43 MX$26.71

-20.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$1.09 MX$20.47

10.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.7

$4.28 MX$80.1

-0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$187

$10.27 MX$192

-2.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.82 MX$34.04

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.80

$3.06 MX$57.3

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$0.68 MX$12.77

-22.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.8

$2.61 MX$48.93

87.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$64.3

$2.02 MX$37.88

69.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$101

$11.18 MX$209

-51.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.10

$1.44 MX$26.93

0.69%

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

$21.2K MX$396.0K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

-0.61%

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

$23.0K MX$430.8K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

-3.61%

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

$85.4 MX$1,598

$57.3 MX$1,072

49.07%

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

$23.46 MX$439

$23.00 MX$431

2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$532

$29.80 MX$558

-4.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,164

$34.76 MX$651

78.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$537

$20.02 MX$375

43.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.5

$5.14 MX$96.2

-0.78%

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

$201 MX$3,763

$216 MX$4,041

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.9K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

-12.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$831

$55.5 MX$1,038

-19.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$774

$40.25 MX$753

2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,362

$98.5 MX$1,844

-26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,677

$90.0 MX$1,684

-0.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.3K

$596 MX$11.1K

64.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,976

$384 MX$7,182

-2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$1,053 MX$19.7K

59.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.5K

$759 MX$14.2K

44.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.9K

$1,915 MX$35.8K

106.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$114.9K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

433.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.8K

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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 2.1% $5.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 7.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 19.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 37.8% $27

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 70.1% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $264 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

67,408

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Zihuatanejo 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $979 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,131 in Zihuatanejo. That’s a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $216 in Zihuatanejo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,131 in Zihuatanejo to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.