Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacapoaxtla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
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Zacapoaxtla Living Index
58

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

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Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Zacapoaxtla vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacapoaxtla $1,055
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,651 per month in Zacapoaxtla vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacapoaxtla $1,651
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,246 per month in Zacapoaxtla vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacapoaxtla $2,246
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zacapoaxtla is about 12% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zacapoaxtla and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zacapoaxtla 22% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 MX$87.3

$10.92 MX$204

-57.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.73 MX$911

$43.37 MX$810

12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 MX$103

$11.78 MX$220

-53.31%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MX$35.79

$3.81 MX$71.2

-49.61%

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

$0.95 MX$17.84

$1.28 MX$23.96

-25.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.73

$0.78 MX$14.63

56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 MX$22.45

$3.17 MX$59.2

-62.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MX$39.96

$4.93 MX$92.2

-56.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 MX$23.40

$1.41 MX$26.28

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MX$20.88

$2.22 MX$41.43

-49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.89

$1.42 MX$26.48

-25.35%

Eggs

$1.65 MX$30.90

$2.52 MX$47.14

-34.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 MX$213

$7.26 MX$136

57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MX$85.2

$7.70 MX$144

-40.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.96 MX$92.7

$12.69 MX$237

-60.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.69

$2.78 MX$52.0

-42.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MX$23.63

$1.37 MX$25.56

-8.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$2.55 MX$47.66

-79.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MX$13.45

$2.12 MX$39.67

-66.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MX$14.39

$1.94 MX$36.22

-60.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MX$19.63

$1.89 MX$35.24

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 MX$17.26

$1.15 MX$21.42

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.93

$1.18 MX$22.03

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$78.3

$4.30 MX$80.3

-2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 MX$243

$9.95 MX$186

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.78

$1.58 MX$29.59

-29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MX$82.9

$2.67 MX$49.91

66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.65

$0.55 MX$10.34

12.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.07 MX$562

$26.62 MX$497

12.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MX$19.90

$4.97 MX$92.9

-78.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.93

$3.33 MX$62.2

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 MX$102

$5.36 MX$100

2.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.36

$1.44 MX$26.98

-2.08%

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

$13.8K MX$257.9K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

-33.21%

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

$24.3K MX$453.3K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

3.38%

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

$43.05 MX$804

$84.8 MX$1,584

-49.23%

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

$26.42 MX$494

$23.41 MX$437

12.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 MX$597

$28.66 MX$535

11.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.23 MX$565

$57.1 MX$1,066

-47.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 MX$320

$28.91 MX$540

-40.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 MX$118

$5.14 MX$96.0

23.15%

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

$439 MX$8,212

$207 MX$3,860

112.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,535 MX$84.7K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

15.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 MX$1,279

$43.35 MX$810

57.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 MX$988

$41.44 MX$774

27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,974

$74.2 MX$1,386

42.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MX$2,139

$89.3 MX$1,668

28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.3K

$980 MX$18.3K

-38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 MX$8,170

$381 MX$7,116

14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$18.9K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 MX$14.1K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-30.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,853 MX$34.6K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-52.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-83.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 MX$11.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

-18.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.45

-0.87%

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

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 12.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 35.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 34.9% $35

Eating Out

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 111% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 56.9% $24

Getting Around

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 39% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Zacapoaxtla versus $980 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 23% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Zacapoaxtla versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in Zacapoaxtla vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Zacapoaxtla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Zacapoaxtla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zacapoaxtla Playa del Carmen 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zacapoaxtla
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Zacapoaxtla 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 Zacapoaxtla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zacapoaxtla. 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.