Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zeist and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,745 in Zeist, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Zeist
Learn more

Zeist Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Zeist

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,745

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,745 per month in Zeist vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zeist $2,745
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,809 per month in Zeist vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zeist $3,809
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,873 per month in Zeist vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zeist $4,873
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Zeist costs about 127% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zeist sits 103% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.98 €19.55

$10.76 MX$199

104.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 €71.5

$43.03 MX$795

86.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.89

$11.79 MX$218

13.40%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$3.87 MX$71.4

13.44%

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

$3.72 €3.31

$1.37 MX$25.29

171.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$0.84 MX$15.44

302.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.10 MX$57.3

84.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 €4.54

$5.07 MX$93.6

0.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.44 MX$26.55

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.23 MX$41.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$1.47 MX$27.17

80.95%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$2.53 MX$46.71

86.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 €12.18

$7.30 MX$135

87.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.40

$7.86 MX$145

77.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.74 €16.67

$12.79 MX$236

46.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.90 MX$53.6

-10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.44 MX$26.53

65.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.55 MX$47.07

-17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.79

$2.06 MX$38.03

107.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.00 MX$36.97

-12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.01 MX$37.07

-7.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.19 MX$22.02

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.26 MX$23.23

-15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.52

$4.40 MX$81.4

220.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.59 MX$177

-30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.59 MX$29.41

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.81 MX$51.9

-4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 €3.02

$0.57 MX$10.47

496.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.9 €81.7

$27.82 MX$514

230.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 €3.27

$4.98 MX$92.1

-26.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.50 MX$64.6

-42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.89 €19.47

$5.40 MX$99.8

305.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.47 MX$27.08

63.95%

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

$40.6K €36.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

93.23%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

59.15%

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

$242 €215

$84.2 MX$1,556

187.58%

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

$25.85 €23.00

$23.99 MX$443

7.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.70 €41.54

$29.02 MX$536

60.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.04 €36.51

$63.0 MX$1,164

-34.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.61 €22.78

$29.14 MX$539

-12.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.43 €13.73

$4.94 MX$91.3

212.35%

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

$2,454 €2,183

$204 MX$3,763

1105.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,949 €7,071

$3,941 MX$72.8K

101.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.9

$43.60 MX$806

118.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 €34.94

$43.12 MX$797

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.3

$75.8 MX$1,400

19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.4

$88.6 MX$1,637

13.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 €1,268

$1,008 MX$18.6K

41.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 €1,258

$374 MX$6,911

278.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,365 €2,104

$1,708 MX$31.6K

38.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$1,106 MX$20.4K

71.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,478 €5,762

$3,944 MX$72.9K

64.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,584 €4,967

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-9.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,216 €3,750

$754 MX$13.9K

458.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

11.45

-68.12%

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

Last update for Zeist: 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

Zeist

$1.4K 51.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 73.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Zeist

$342 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 24.5% $84

Eating Out

Zeist

$336 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 39.8% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zeist

$315 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 56.4% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Zeist

$146 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 22.9% $34

Getting Around

Zeist

$119 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 55.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Zeist

$72 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 1.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,426 in Zeist 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 459% higher in Zeist, 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 $80.0 in Zeist versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zeist

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

7 h behind Zeist

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,987

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zeist Playa del Carmen 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zeist
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

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

Yes – Zeist is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,118 per month in Zeist 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 $2,745 in Zeist and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 127%.

Public transport costs about 230% 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 Zeist at $2,745. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zeist 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, Zeist makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.