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

🙂 Solo nomad: Zanzibar is 59.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 64.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Zanzibar is 50.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 67.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.86 TZS 12.3K
$11.85 MX$209
-58.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.91 TZS 55.5K
$42.16 MX$744
-48.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.67 TZS 14.4K
$10.75 MX$190
-47.26%
Cappuccino
$2.17 TZS 5,495
$3.47 MX$61.3
-37.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 TZS 1,609
$1.45 MX$25.65
-55.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 TZS 784
$0.90 MX$15.93
-65.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.92 TZS 4,852
$3.05 MX$53.9
-37.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 TZS 6,793
$4.42 MX$77.9
-39.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 TZS 4,499
$1.37 MX$24.17
29.93%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 TZS 1,848
$1.87 MX$33.05
-60.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 TZS 2,075
$1.54 MX$27.25
-46.75%
Eggs
$2.98 TZS 7,539
$2.50 MX$44.18
19.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.61 MX$152
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.26 TZS 5,729
$8.63 MX$152
-73.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.63 TZS 11.7K
$11.02 MX$195
-57.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 TZS 7,301
$2.75 MX$48.53
4.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 TZS 2,999
$1.43 MX$25.21
-17.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 TZS 1,868
$1.87 MX$33.05
-60.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 TZS 1,415
$2.17 MX$38.26
-74.19%
Potato (1kg)
$0.93 TZS 2,364
$1.88 MX$33.23
-50.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 TZS 3,851
$2.25 MX$39.65
-32.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.80 TZS 2,036
$1.07 MX$18.85
-25.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 TZS 1,254
$1.07 MX$18.95
-54.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.09 TZS 5,296
$4.15 MX$73.3
-49.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.88 TZS 25.0K
$10.34 MX$182
-4.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 TZS 4,372
$1.68 MX$29.64
2.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 TZS 3,509
$2.48 MX$43.84
-43.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 TZS 1,530
$0.55 MX$9.80
9.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.53 MX$468
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.22 MX$56.8
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.48 MX$43.80
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 TZS 6,679
$3.11 MX$54.9
-15.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 TZS 3,096
$1.26 MX$22.16
-3.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$82.5 MX$1,456
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.32 TZS 26.2K
$22.29 MX$393
-53.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.32 TZS 59.1K
$30.02 MX$530
-22.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.42 TZS 54.3K
$51.4 MX$908
-58.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.29 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.70 TZS 24.6K
$4.98 MX$88.0
94.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$200 MX$3,530
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,304 MX$93.6K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.14 TZS 33.3K
$35.71 MX$630
-63.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.21 TZS 43.6K
$39.56 MX$698
-56.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$15.24 TZS 38.6K
$80.6 MX$1,422
-81.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$13.56 TZS 34.3K
$88.3 MX$1,559
-84.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$149 TZS 377.4K
$969 MX$17.1K
-84.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$101 TZS 254.6K
$482 MX$8,511
-79.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$200 TZS 505.6K
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-87.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$147 TZS 371.6K
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-87.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$38.8K TZS 98.3M
$4,050 MX$71.5K
858.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.7K TZS 29.6M
$6,522 MX$115.1K
79.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zanzibar
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$329 TZS 834.3K
$756 MX$13.4K
-56.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
11.42
-12.43%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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