Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria Falls and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Victoria Falls: $902 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Victoria Falls

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$902

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Victoria Falls and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Victoria Falls and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $902 per month in Victoria Falls vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Victoria Falls $902
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $1,466 per month in Victoria Falls vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Victoria Falls $1,466
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $2,031 per month in Victoria Falls vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Victoria Falls $2,031
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Victoria Falls is about 26% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Victoria Falls and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Victoria Falls 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ZWL 266

$10.97 MX$201

-9.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.68 ZWL 1,220

$44.85 MX$823

1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

Cappuccino

$5.83 ZWL 156

$3.80 MX$69.9

53.42%

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

$0.99 ZWL 26.34

$1.31 MX$24.08

-24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.81

$0.86 MX$15.72

-44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ZWL 132

$3.21 MX$59.0

53.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ZWL 52.9

$1.46 MX$26.77

35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.35

$2.33 MX$42.72

-56.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 ZWL 52.0

$1.44 MX$26.48

35.42%

Eggs

$3.59 ZWL 95.9

$2.46 MX$45.20

45.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.57 ZWL 68.7

$7.70 MX$141

-66.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.06 ZWL 162

$7.89 MX$145

-23.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ZWL 208

$12.80 MX$235

-39.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ZWL 78.7

$2.92 MX$53.6

1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$1.42 MX$26.11

107.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 ZWL 78.4

$2.57 MX$47.10

14.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ZWL 104

$2.14 MX$39.24

82.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ZWL 52.7

$1.94 MX$35.55

1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 ZWL 53.0

$1.15 MX$21.13

72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ZWL 40.77

$1.22 MX$22.42

25.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ZWL 90.3

$4.38 MX$80.3

-22.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.97 ZWL 533

$9.85 MX$181

102.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ZWL 52.6

$0.52 MX$9.64

278.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ZWL 27.32

$3.52 MX$64.7

-71.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 ZWL 47.59

$1.54 MX$28.27

15.58%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

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

$24.86 ZWL 664

$83.6 MX$1,535

-70.27%

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

$25.21 ZWL 673

$24.03 MX$441

4.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 ZWL 1,845

$29.33 MX$539

135.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 ZWL 1,631

$64.9 MX$1,191

-5.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.83 ZWL 396

$29.46 MX$541

-49.66%

Cinema Ticket

$19.97 ZWL 533

$5.09 MX$93.4

292.34%

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

$99.6 ZWL 2,660

$208 MX$3,813

-52.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,890 ZWL 157.3K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

45.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.17 ZWL 405

$44.55 MX$818

-65.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ZWL 662

$42.06 MX$772

-41.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 ZWL 1,612

$75.5 MX$1,387

-20.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$91.4 MX$1,678

-50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ZWL 6,728

$986 MX$18.1K

-74.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ZWL 4,757

$385 MX$7,072

-53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 ZWL 13.3K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-70.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ZWL 9,533

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-67.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 ZWL 21.5K

$758 MX$13.9K

6.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Victoria Falls: October 5, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Groceries & Markets

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Eating Out

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Getting Around

Victoria Falls

–

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Victoria Falls versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. 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 6% higher in Victoria Falls, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Victoria Falls versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $247 in Victoria Falls vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Victoria Falls wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Victoria Falls

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

06:45 6:45 AM

7 h behind Victoria Falls

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,215

149,923

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Victoria Falls Playa del Carmen 13,020 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria Falls
Playa del Carmen

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

Victoria Falls vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,352 per month in Victoria Falls and $1,823 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Victoria Falls, 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 $902 in Victoria Falls and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $99.6 per month in Victoria Falls and $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Victoria Falls, where all-in costs run around $902, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Victoria Falls it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Victoria Falls – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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