Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
59

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

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $738 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacatecas $738
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Zacatecas vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,170
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Zacatecas vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,602
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Zacatecas is about 39% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zacatecas and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zacatecas 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 MX$113

$10.76 MX$199

-43.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MX$586

$43.03 MX$795

-26.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 MX$139

$11.79 MX$218

-36.39%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MX$54.7

$3.87 MX$71.4

-23.51%

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

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.37 MX$25.29

-11.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.31

$0.84 MX$15.44

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$3.10 MX$57.3

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$75.4

$5.07 MX$93.6

-19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.44 MX$26.55

-4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.91

$2.23 MX$41.23

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$1.47 MX$27.17

4.76%

Eggs

$2.29 MX$42.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

-9.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 MX$135

$7.30 MX$135

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 MX$113

$7.86 MX$145

-22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 MX$171

$12.79 MX$236

-27.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$2.90 MX$53.6

-39.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.63

$1.44 MX$26.53

15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.30

$2.55 MX$47.07

-20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.05

$2.06 MX$38.03

-29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.98

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.50

$2.01 MX$37.07

-12.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$1.19 MX$22.02

27.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.60

$1.26 MX$23.23

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.4

$4.40 MX$81.4

-2.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 MX$197

$9.59 MX$177

11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.90

$1.59 MX$29.41

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.81 MX$51.9

20.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$0.57 MX$10.47

-7.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 MX$305

$27.82 MX$514

-40.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MX$40.77

$4.98 MX$92.1

-55.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$3.50 MX$64.6

-69.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 MX$227

$5.40 MX$99.8

127.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.79

$1.47 MX$27.08

-1.36%

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

$21.1K MX$390.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

0.71%

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

$24.5K MX$452.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

2.45%

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

$23.16 MX$428

$84.2 MX$1,556

-72.50%

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

$8.38 MX$155

$23.99 MX$443

-65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 MX$465

$29.02 MX$536

-13.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.02 MX$462

$63.0 MX$1,164

-60.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.17 MX$151

$29.14 MX$539

-71.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$81.1

$4.94 MX$91.3

-11.13%

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

$256 MX$4,736

$204 MX$3,763

25.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,234 MX$59.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-17.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.26 MX$836

$43.60 MX$806

3.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$43.12 MX$797

-6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,692

$75.8 MX$1,400

20.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.08 MX$796

$88.6 MX$1,637

-51.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,467

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-76.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$374 MX$6,911

-56.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,074

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MX$4,606

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-77.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$571 MX$10.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-90.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 MX$7,527

$754 MX$13.9K

-45.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

11.45

-5.68%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$228 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 13.4% $31

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 131% $212

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$132 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 53% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$99 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 14.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$57 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 142% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$34 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 116% $39

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 100% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Zacatecas versus $1,008 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 85% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Zacatecas versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $258 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

1 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zacatecas Playa del Carmen 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,107 per month in Zacatecas and $1,816 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 Zacatecas, 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 $738 in Zacatecas and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 64%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Zacatecas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zacatecas – 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 Zacatecas. 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.