Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,694 in Zaragoza, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
59

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

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Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,694

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,694 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,694
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Zaragoza vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $2,478
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Zaragoza vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zaragoza $3,263
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Zaragoza costs about 40% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zaragoza sits 25% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.72

$10.76 MX$199

53.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 €50.6

$43.03 MX$795

32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.79 MX$218

-4.41%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$3.87 MX$71.4

-45.22%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$1.37 MX$25.29

77.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.84 MX$15.44

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.10 MX$57.3

10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.93

$5.07 MX$93.6

-34.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.44 MX$26.55

-17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.23 MX$41.23

-12.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

Eggs

$2.81 €2.50

$2.53 MX$46.71

11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.17 €14.39

$7.30 MX$135

121.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €7.98

$7.86 MX$145

14.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.00 €18.68

$12.79 MX$236

64.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.90 MX$53.6

-7.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.44 MX$26.53

73.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.55 MX$47.07

1.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.06 MX$38.03

49.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.01 MX$37.07

11.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.19 MX$22.02

48.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.26 MX$23.23

-42.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.44

$4.40 MX$81.4

39.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$9.59 MX$177

-54.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.59 MX$29.41

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.81 MX$51.9

22.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.57 MX$10.47

196.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.91 €28.38

$27.82 MX$514

14.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.06

$4.98 MX$92.1

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$3.50 MX$64.6

-69.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.17 €25.95

$5.40 MX$99.8

440.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.47 MX$27.08

20.41%

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

$35.6K €31.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

69.45%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

22.66%

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

$161 €144

$84.2 MX$1,556

91.71%

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

$11.52 €10.25

$23.99 MX$443

-51.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 €18.97

$29.02 MX$536

-26.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.72 €31.78

$63.0 MX$1,164

-43.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 €12.77

$29.14 MX$539

-50.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €8.09

$4.94 MX$91.3

84.21%

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

$493 €439

$204 MX$3,763

142.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,876 €7,006

$3,941 MX$72.8K

99.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.6

$43.60 MX$806

105.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 €34.23

$43.12 MX$797

-10.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.0

$75.8 MX$1,400

31.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$88.6 MX$1,637

28.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 €721

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €630

$374 MX$6,911

89.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 €1,145

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 €898

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-8.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,196 €2,843

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-18.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,944 €1,729

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-68.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,009 €1,787

$754 MX$13.9K

166.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.45

-69.78%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

$709 41.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 47.2% $335

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$306 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 15.4% $47

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$231 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 12.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$194 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 29.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$154 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 26.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$54 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 35.2% $19

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$46 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 13.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in Zaragoza 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 166% higher in Zaragoza, 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 $57.0 in Zaragoza versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

7 h behind Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

682,513

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Zaragoza Playa del Carmen 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

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

Yes – Zaragoza is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,541 per month in Zaragoza 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $1,694 in Zaragoza and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Zaragoza at $1,694. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zaragoza it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – 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 Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zaragoza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.