Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zell am see and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,322 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index
58

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

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Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,322

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,322 per month in Zell am see vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zell am see $2,322
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,372 per month in Zell am see vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zell am see $3,372
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,423 per month in Zell am see vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zell am see $4,423
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zell am see costs about 93% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zell am see sits 71% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$10.92 MX$205

52.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €73.5

$43.37 MX$813

90.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 €8.68

$11.78 MX$221

-17.40%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.88

$3.81 MX$71.4

14.17%

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

$3.56 €3.17

$1.28 MX$24.03

178.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$0.78 MX$14.67

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.93

$3.17 MX$59.3

74.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.61

$4.93 MX$92.5

4.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.41 MX$26.35

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.22 MX$41.54

9.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.42 MX$26.56

71.83%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.09

$2.52 MX$47.27

82.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.05 €19.68

$7.26 MX$136

203.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.75

$7.70 MX$144

71.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.98

$12.69 MX$238

67.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.78 MX$52.2

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.37 MX$25.64

83.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.55 MX$47.80

29.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.12 MX$39.78

88.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.94 MX$36.32

27.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.89 MX$35.34

61.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.15 MX$21.49

95.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.18 MX$22.09

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 €6.99

$4.30 MX$80.5

82.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €8.03

$9.95 MX$186

-9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.58 MX$29.67

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.67 MX$50.1

-17.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 €2.23

$0.55 MX$10.37

354.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.6 €55.9

$26.62 MX$499

135.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$4.97 MX$93.1

-42.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 €0.76

$3.33 MX$62.4

-74.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.43 €28.04

$5.36 MX$100

486.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.44 MX$27.06

25.69%

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

$29.7K €26.5K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

43.74%

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

$30.0K €26.8K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

28.00%

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

$333 €297

$84.8 MX$1,589

292.69%

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

$16.10 €14.36

$23.41 MX$439

-31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.60 €34.44

$28.66 MX$537

34.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 €36.45

$57.1 MX$1,069

-28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 €20.48

$28.91 MX$542

-20.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 €13.72

$5.14 MX$96.3

199.22%

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

$452 €403

$207 MX$3,871

118.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

303.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 €75.6

$43.35 MX$812

95.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 €52.4

$41.44 MX$777

41.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.2

$74.2 MX$1,390

48.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$89.3 MX$1,672

40.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €942

$980 MX$18.4K

7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 €839

$381 MX$7,136

146.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 €1,641

$1,708 MX$32.0K

7.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,256

$1,075 MX$20.1K

30.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,981 €6,228

$3,943 MX$73.9K

77.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,536 €5,832

$6,158 MX$115.4K

6.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Zell am see: 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

Zell am see

$940 40.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 59.5% $559

Groceries & Markets

Zell am see

$394 17%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 35.3% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zell am see

$388 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.7% $251

Eating Out

Zell am see

$278 12%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Zell am see

$170 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 34.5% $59

Getting Around

Zell am see

$80 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 36.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zell am see

$72 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Zell am see 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 $82 in Zell am see versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

6 h behind Zell am see

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,131

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Zell am see Playa del Carmen 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zell am see
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

Zell am see vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zell am see is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,483 per month in Zell am see and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,056 in Zell am see and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,322 in Zell am see and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 57% 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 Zell am see at $2,322. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zell am see 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 48% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.