Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabljak and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index
59

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

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Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zabljak 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 Zabljak and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Zabljak vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zabljak $1,128
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,769 per month in Zabljak vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zabljak $1,769
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,410 per month in Zabljak vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zabljak $2,410
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Zabljak is about 6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.95 €7.08

$10.86 MX$201

-26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.82 €28.30

$44.21 MX$817

-28.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 €5.82

$11.76 MX$217

-44.30%

Cappuccino

$1.63 €1.45

$3.68 MX$68.0

-55.71%

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

$2.24 €2.00

$1.34 MX$24.79

67.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.82 MX$15.24

76.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 €2.66

$3.06 MX$56.6

-1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.15

$4.94 MX$91.2

-28.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.47 MX$27.17

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 €0.57

$2.22 MX$40.95

-70.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.48 MX$27.32

-11.49%

Eggs

$2.97 €2.64

$2.49 MX$45.99

19.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 €6.30

$7.52 MX$139

-5.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 €6.42

$7.96 MX$147

-9.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 €10.88

$12.57 MX$232

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.78 MX$51.3

-52.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.43 MX$26.37

16.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.62 MX$48.37

-42.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.14 MX$39.49

-34.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 €0.58

$2.02 MX$37.38

-67.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 €0.62

$1.99 MX$36.74

-64.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.14 MX$21.01

-20.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.20 MX$22.18

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 €3.57

$4.26 MX$78.7

-5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$10.02 MX$185

-55.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.54 MX$28.41

-30.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.66 MX$49.17

-34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.53 MX$9.73

207.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.55 €35.18

$27.51 MX$508

43.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$4.90 MX$90.6

-76.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$3.43 MX$63.5

-81.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.00 €15.12

$5.38 MX$99.4

215.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.45 MX$26.76

22.07%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

38.58%

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

$25.6K €22.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

11.03%

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

$113 €101

$85.4 MX$1,577

32.64%

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

$15.02 €13.36

$23.46 MX$434

-35.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.02 €19.58

$28.43 MX$525

-22.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.30 €41.18

$62.2 MX$1,149

-25.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 €13.10

$28.68 MX$530

-48.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 €5.53

$5.10 MX$94.3

21.76%

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

$392 €349

$201 MX$3,715

95.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,812 €8,728

$3,947 MX$72.9K

148.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 €20.15

$44.39 MX$820

-48.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.47 €24.43

$41.35 MX$764

-33.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 €48.89

$72.7 MX$1,344

-24.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 €60.2

$89.6 MX$1,656

-24.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 €573

$979 MX$18.1K

-34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €405

$373 MX$6,887

22.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,135

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €834

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-14.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 €2,956

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-15.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,097

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-61.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 €713

$738 MX$13.6K

8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

11.45

-48.03%

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

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zabljak

$455 40.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 18.1% $82

Groceries & Markets

Zabljak

$196 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 31.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabljak

$150 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 8.7% $13

Eating Out

Zabljak

$140 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 43.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Zabljak

$78 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 43.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zabljak

$59 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 23.3% $14

Getting Around

Zabljak

$50 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 2.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Zabljak versus $979 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 9% higher in Zabljak, 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 $32.00 in Zabljak versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $258 – making Zabljak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

22:50 10:50 PM

6 h behind Zabljak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,900

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zabljak Playa del Carmen 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zabljak
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

Zabljak vs Playa del Carmen: 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 groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,692 per month in Zabljak and $1,806 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 Zabljak, 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 $1,128 in Zabljak and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Zabljak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zabljak, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Zabljak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zabljak – 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 Zabljak. 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.