Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zatec and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Zatec and in Playa del Carmen: $1,232 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Zatec
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Zatec Living Index
59

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

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Zatec

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,232

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,232 per month in Zatec vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zatec $1,232
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,931 per month in Zatec vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zatec $1,931
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Zatec vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zatec $2,630
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Zatec costs about 2% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zatec and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Zatec 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.77 Kč 146

$10.86 MX$201

-37.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.11 Kč 392

$44.21 MX$817

-59.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 Kč 193

$11.76 MX$217

-24.15%

Cappuccino

$2.95 Kč 63.9

$3.68 MX$68.0

-19.84%

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

$0.71 Kč 15.31

$1.34 MX$24.79

-47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 Kč 18.98

$0.82 MX$15.24

7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 Kč 50.5

$3.06 MX$56.6

-23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Kč 58.5

$4.94 MX$91.2

-45.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 Kč 17.85

$1.47 MX$27.17

-43.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 Kč 28.76

$2.22 MX$40.95

-40.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 Kč 48.54

$1.48 MX$27.32

51.35%

Eggs

$2.45 Kč 53.0

$2.49 MX$45.99

-1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.88 Kč 127

$7.52 MX$139

-21.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 Kč 119

$7.96 MX$147

-30.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 Kč 153

$12.57 MX$232

-43.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 Kč 27.29

$2.78 MX$51.3

-54.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 Kč 33.84

$1.43 MX$26.37

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 Kč 44.60

$2.62 MX$48.37

-21.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 Kč 71.2

$2.14 MX$39.49

53.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Kč 20.25

$2.02 MX$37.38

-53.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 Kč 23.63

$1.99 MX$36.74

-45.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 Kč 33.38

$1.14 MX$21.01

35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 Kč 11.99

$1.20 MX$22.18

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 Kč 128

$4.26 MX$78.7

38.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.36 Kč 116

$10.02 MX$185

-46.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 Kč 19.21

$1.54 MX$28.41

-42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 Kč 36.86

$2.66 MX$49.17

-36.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 Kč 7.22

$0.53 MX$9.73

-37.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.19 Kč 545

$27.51 MX$508

-8.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 Kč 60.4

$4.90 MX$90.6

-43.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 Kč 39.96

$3.43 MX$63.5

-46.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.44 Kč 355

$5.38 MX$99.4

205.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Kč 40.18

$1.45 MX$26.76

28.28%

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

$31.5K Kč 680.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

48.74%

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

$30.1K Kč 651.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

30.92%

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

$299 Kč 6,474

$85.4 MX$1,577

250.68%

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

$22.74 Kč 492

$23.46 MX$434

-3.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.72 Kč 405

$28.43 MX$525

-34.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 Kč 1,181

$62.2 MX$1,149

-12.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.30 Kč 374

$28.68 MX$530

-39.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 Kč 280

$5.10 MX$94.3

153.92%

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

$726 Kč 15.7K

$201 MX$3,715

261.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K Kč 247.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

189.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 Kč 1,877

$44.39 MX$820

95.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 Kč 796

$41.35 MX$764

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.55 Kč 985

$72.7 MX$1,344

-37.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 Kč 2,602

$89.6 MX$1,656

34.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 Kč 7,792

$979 MX$18.1K

-63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 Kč 6,886

$373 MX$6,887

-14.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 Kč 26.2K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 Kč 20.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-15.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,620 Kč 99.9K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

17.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,448 Kč 74.6K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-43.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 Kč 24.8K

$738 MX$13.6K

55.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

11.45

-59.21%

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

Last update for Zatec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zatec

$341 27.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.7% $204

Accommodation & Living

Zatec

$318 25.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 17.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

Zatec

$183 14.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 40.8% $75

Eating Out

Zatec

$140 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 43.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Zatec

$130 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Zatec

$80 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 10% $8.1

Getting Around

Zatec

$39 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 34.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $360 in Zatec versus $979 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 55% higher in Zatec, 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 $18.00 in Zatec versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $258 – making Zatec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Zatec

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

7 h behind Zatec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,522

149,923

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zatec Playa del Carmen 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zatec
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

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

Yes – Zatec is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,848 per month in Zatec and $1,806 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 $1,232 in Zatec and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 9% 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 $1,204, than in Zatec at $1,232. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zatec 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, Zatec makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.