Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zebbug and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,976 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index
58

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

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Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,976

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,976 per month in Zebbug vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zebbug $1,976
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,113 per month in Zebbug vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zebbug $3,113
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,251 per month in Zebbug vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zebbug $4,251
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zebbug costs about 64% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zebbug sits 45% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.62

$10.92 MX$205

80.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.5

$43.37 MX$813

82.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 €6.62

$11.78 MX$221

-37.01%

Cappuccino

$3.23 €2.89

$3.81 MX$71.4

-15.22%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$1.28 MX$24.03

70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.78 MX$14.67

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.10

$3.17 MX$59.3

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.33

$4.93 MX$92.5

-1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.41 MX$26.35

-2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.22 MX$41.54

-34.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$1.42 MX$26.56

144.37%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.79

$2.52 MX$47.27

68.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 €9.32

$7.26 MX$136

43.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.17 €10.86

$7.70 MX$144

58.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €16.02

$12.69 MX$238

41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.78 MX$52.2

37.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.37 MX$25.64

98.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 €3.48

$2.55 MX$47.80

52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.42

$2.12 MX$39.78

80.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.94 MX$36.32

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 €3.04

$1.89 MX$35.34

80.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.15 MX$21.49

100.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.18 MX$22.09

32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.68

$4.30 MX$80.5

47.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.84 €5.21

$9.95 MX$186

-41.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.58 MX$29.67

51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.67 MX$50.1

-10.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.55 MX$10.37

298.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.39

$4.97 MX$93.1

-23.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.33 MX$62.4

-46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.46 €28.96

$5.36 MX$100

505.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.44 MX$27.06

6.94%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

36.29%

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

$39.5K €35.3K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

68.48%

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

$155 €138

$84.8 MX$1,589

82.55%

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

$31.52 €28.12

$23.41 MX$439

34.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.99 €25.86

$28.66 MX$537

1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 €56.7

$57.1 MX$1,069

11.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 €10.23

$5.14 MX$96.3

123.15%

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

$274 €244

$207 MX$3,871

32.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €10.9K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

211.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.2

$43.35 MX$812

32.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 €61.7

$41.44 MX$777

66.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$74.2 MX$1,390

52.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$89.3 MX$1,672

44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 €1,029

$980 MX$18.4K

17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 €783

$381 MX$7,136

130.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,014 €1,797

$1,708 MX$32.0K

17.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 €1,483

$1,075 MX$20.1K

54.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,052 €3,615

$3,943 MX$73.9K

2.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 €2,540

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-53.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.45

-64.63%

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

Last update for Zebbug: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zebbug

$877 44.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 56.6% $497

Groceries & Markets

Zebbug

$344 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.9% $89

Eating Out

Zebbug

$265 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 23.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zebbug

$215 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Zebbug

$166 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Zebbug

$87 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 22.2% $19

Getting Around

Zebbug

$21 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 135% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,153 in Zebbug versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Zebbug versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

6 h behind Zebbug

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,770

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zebbug Playa del Carmen 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zebbug
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

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

Yes – Zebbug is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,964 per month in Zebbug 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,153 in Zebbug.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,976 in Zebbug and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $274 per month in Zebbug and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Zebbug at $1,976. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zebbug 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.