Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amparai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $502 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
Learn more

Amparai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $502 in Amparai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Amparai $502
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $814 in Amparai versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Amparai $814
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,126 in Amparai versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Amparai $1,126
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Amparai costs roughly 58% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Amparai 63% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 LKR 1,261

$10.92 MX$204

-65.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.61 LKR 8,183

$43.37 MX$808

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$11.78 MX$220

-37.01%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 824

$3.81 MX$71.0

-34.91%

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

$0.67 LKR 221

$1.28 MX$23.90

-47.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.4

$0.78 MX$14.59

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 749

$3.17 MX$59.0

-29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 978

$4.93 MX$92.0

-40.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 544

$1.41 MX$26.22

16.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$2.22 MX$41.33

-76.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.42 MX$26.42

-42.96%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 573

$2.52 MX$47.03

-31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.94 LKR 4,636

$7.26 MX$135

92.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 LKR 1,666

$7.70 MX$143

-34.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 LKR 2,529

$12.69 MX$237

-40.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.65 LKR 2,210

$2.78 MX$51.9

139.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$1.37 MX$25.50

-37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 LKR 1,429

$2.55 MX$47.55

68.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 422

$2.12 MX$39.58

-40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$1.94 MX$36.13

-45.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 276

$1.89 MX$35.16

-56.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 LKR 314

$1.15 MX$21.37

-18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$1.18 MX$21.98

-64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,439

$4.30 MX$80.1

140.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 LKR 4,298

$9.95 MX$185

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 653

$1.58 MX$29.52

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 973

$2.67 MX$49.79

9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 125

$4.97 MX$92.6

-92.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$3.33 MX$62.1

-88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 313

$5.36 MX$99.8

-82.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 447

$1.44 MX$26.92

-6.94%

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

$44.5K LKR 14.8M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

115.14%

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

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

75.52%

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

$59.7 LKR 19.8K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-29.63%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,407

$23.41 MX$436

-81.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.72 LKR 6,887

$28.66 MX$534

-27.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$1.84 LKR 610

$5.14 MX$95.8

-64.20%

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

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

$207 MX$3,851

-82.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,226 LKR 407.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-68.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.05 LKR 6,002

$43.35 MX$808

-58.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.88 LKR 5,611

$41.44 MX$772

-59.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

$74.2 MX$1,383

4.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.12 LKR 14.0K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

$735 MX$13.7K

-87.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

11.45

10.83%

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

Last update for Amparai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Amparai

$239 47.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 6.8% $16

Eating Out

Amparai

$103 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 96% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amparai

$85 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Amparai

$70 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 60.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Amparai

$3.7 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 1734% $64

Getting Around

Amparai

$2.2 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2152% $48

Accommodation & Living

Amparai

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Amparai vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $255 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Amparai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

18:00 6:00 PM

10 h 30 min behind Amparai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amparai Playa del Carmen 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Amparai
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

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

Amparai is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Amparai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $37 in Amparai versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Amparai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Amparai wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.