Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

🇿🇲 Zambia
$905
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Zambia is 24.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Zambia is 20.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 24.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.84 ZMW 136
$10.97 MX$201
-37.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.13 ZMW 597
$44.85 MX$823
-32.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ZMW 103
$11.92 MX$219
-56.38%
Cappuccino
$3.03 ZMW 60.1
$3.80 MX$69.9
-20.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ZMW 15.38
$1.31 MX$24.08
-40.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ZMW 9.72
$0.86 MX$15.72
-43.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.30 ZMW 25.73
$3.21 MX$59.0
-59.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 ZMW 50.3
$5.01 MX$92.0
-49.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 ZMW 37.25
$1.46 MX$26.77
28.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 ZMW 24.32
$2.33 MX$42.72
-47.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 ZMW 48.42
$1.44 MX$26.48
69.44%
Eggs
$1.84 ZMW 36.42
$2.46 MX$45.20
-25.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.44 ZMW 207
$7.70 MX$141
35.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.54 ZMW 130
$7.89 MX$145
-17.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.13 ZMW 122
$12.80 MX$235
-52.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.48 ZMW 68.9
$2.92 MX$53.6
19.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 ZMW 42.42
$1.42 MX$26.11
50.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.51 ZMW 69.5
$2.57 MX$47.10
36.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 ZMW 31.15
$2.14 MX$39.24
-26.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.81 ZMW 55.7
$1.95 MX$35.75
44.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ZMW 37.77
$1.94 MX$35.55
-2.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 ZMW 22.88
$1.15 MX$21.13
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 ZMW 14.09
$1.22 MX$22.42
-41.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 ZMW 56.3
$4.38 MX$80.3
-35.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.13 ZMW 201
$9.85 MX$181
2.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 ZMW 27.94
$1.54 MX$28.23
-8.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 ZMW 41.62
$2.72 MX$49.86
-22.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.98 ZMW 19.52
$0.52 MX$9.64
88.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.2 ZMW 995
$27.42 MX$503
82.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 ZMW 50.9
$4.91 MX$90.2
-47.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 ZMW 33.60
$3.52 MX$64.7
-51.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.94 ZMW 177
$5.69 MX$104
57.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 ZMW 28.88
$1.54 MX$28.27
-5.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$6,225 ZMW 123.4K
$21.2K MX$389.9K
-70.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K ZMW 768.5K
$24.5K MX$449.6K
58.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.7 ZMW 1,778
$83.6 MX$1,535
7.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.95 ZMW 217
$24.03 MX$441
-54.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.9 ZMW 1,169
$29.33 MX$539
100.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.3 ZMW 998
$64.9 MX$1,191
-22.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.39 ZMW 325
$29.46 MX$541
-44.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 ZMW 135
$5.09 MX$93.4
33.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$142 ZMW 2,821
$208 MX$3,813
-31.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K ZMW 333.1K
$4,045 MX$74.3K
315.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.56 ZMW 487
$44.55 MX$818
-44.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.64 ZMW 290
$42.06 MX$772
-65.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.2 ZMW 1,174
$75.5 MX$1,387
-21.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.9 ZMW 1,505
$91.4 MX$1,678
-16.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 ZMW 8,980
$986 MX$18.1K
-54.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$174 ZMW 3,443
$385 MX$7,072
-54.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,074 ZMW 21.3K
$1,713 MX$31.5K
-37.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$720 ZMW 14.3K
$1,108 MX$20.4K
-35.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,941 ZMW 78.1K
$4,016 MX$73.7K
-1.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,414 ZMW 127.2K
$6,247 MX$114.7K
2.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zambia
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$428 ZMW 8,485
$758 MX$13.9K
-43.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
26.25
11.45
129.26%

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

Last update for Zambia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Zambia
$240
Playa del Carmen
$260 8.7% $21
Accommodation & Living
Zambia
$174
Playa del Carmen
$385 122% $212
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zambia
$160
Playa del Carmen
$137 14.1% $23
Eating Out
Zambia
$123
Playa del Carmen
$204 65.4% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Zambia
$78
Playa del Carmen
$114 45.5% $36
Getting Around
Zambia
$65
Playa del Carmen
$52 20.1% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Zambia
$64
Playa del Carmen
$75 17.4% $11
Good to know
🇿🇲 Zambia
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
13:47 1:47 PM
06:47 6:47 AM
7 h behind Zambia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,610,769
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zambia Playa del Carmen 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zambia
  • 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

Zambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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