Cost of Living Comparison Between Zalau and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Zalau and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Zalau is 39.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Zalau is 22.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 38.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.19 RON 35.57
$11.99 MX$227
-31.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.27 RON 149
$42.47 MX$803
-19.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.72 RON 24.81
$10.47 MX$198
-45.37%
Cappuccino
$2.01 RON 8.73
$3.6 MX$68.2
-44.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 RON 9
$1.44 MX$27.16
43.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.8 RON 7.82
$0.89 MX$16.79
102.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.74 RON 11.89
$3.09 MX$58.5
-11.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 RON 12.21
$4.58 MX$86.6
-38.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 RON 6.27
$1.38 MX$26.04
5.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 RON 5.48
$1.85 MX$34.9
-31.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 RON 6.15
$1.57 MX$29.68
-9.55%
Eggs
$2.24 RON 9.73
$2.55 MX$48.3
-12.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.75 RON 33.65
$8.61 MX$163
-9.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.06 RON 26.32
$8.54 MX$161
-29.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.75 RON 37.99
$10.98 MX$208
-20.31%
Apples (1kg)
$0.96 RON 4.15
$2.72 MX$51.4
-64.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 RON 6.65
$1.51 MX$28.57
1.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.56 RON 6.79
$1.88 MX$35.63
-17.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 RON 9.33
$2.19 MX$41.42
-1.83%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 RON 3.08
$1.87 MX$35.3
-62.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 RON 3.08
$2.19 MX$41.37
-67.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 RON 3.12
$1.07 MX$20.23
-32.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 RON 3.8
$1.09 MX$20.64
-20.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.5 RON 23.88
$3.96 MX$74.9
38.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.89 RON 25.56
$8.86 MX$167
-33.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 RON 4.51
$1.72 MX$32.53
-39.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 RON 5.43
$2.61 MX$49.37
-52.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 RON 4.14
$0.52 MX$9.74
82.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.16 RON 87.5
$26.59 MX$503
-24.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.94 RON 4.09
$3.24 MX$61.2
-70.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.8 RON 3.46
$2.38 MX$44.94
-66.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.34 RON 40.53
$3.11 MX$58.7
200.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 RON 6.92
$1.31 MX$24.85
21.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K RON 121.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-7.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26K RON 112.9K
$24K MX$453.6K
8.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 RON 606
$84.2 MX$1,592
65.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.63 RON 20.11
$22.14 MX$419
-79.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.76 RON 29.36
$30.14 MX$570
-77.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.68 RON 155
$52 MX$983
-31.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.21 RON 83.4
$18.72 MX$354
2.62%
Cinema Ticket
$5.6 RON 24.32
$5.07 MX$95.9
10.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 RON 1,885
$200 MX$3,787
116.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,800 RON 29.5K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
27.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 RON 250
$35.74 MX$676
60.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.24 RON 166
$39.8 MX$753
-3.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.3 RON 279
$79 MX$1,493
-18.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.2 RON 296
$88.4 MX$1,671
-22.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$383 RON 1,664
$965 MX$18.3K
-60.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 RON 1,277
$474 MX$8,968
-37.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$586 RON 2,542
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-64.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$440 RON 1,909
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-63.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,766 RON 7,665
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-42.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,369 RON 5,942
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-81.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zalau
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$666 RON 2,893
$792 MX$15K
-15.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
11.42
-43.08%

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

Last update for Zalau: October 28, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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