Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $735 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
58

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

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bayan Lepas $735
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,214 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bayan Lepas $1,214
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bayan Lepas $1,694
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bayan Lepas costs roughly 39% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayan Lepas 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.11

$10.92 MX$204

-72.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 MYR 68.7

$43.37 MX$808

-61.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$11.78 MX$220

-65.28%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.45

$3.81 MX$71.0

-26.25%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.44

$1.28 MX$23.90

-34.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.78 MX$14.59

-29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MYR 19.46

$3.17 MX$59.0

50.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$4.93 MX$92.0

0.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 MYR 10.44

$1.41 MX$26.22

81.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 MYR 3.94

$2.22 MX$41.33

-56.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 MYR 3.63

$1.42 MX$26.42

-37.32%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.35

$2.52 MX$47.03

-18.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.15

$7.70 MX$143

-54.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.16

$12.69 MX$237

-45.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 MYR 12.66

$2.78 MX$51.9

11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.47

$1.37 MX$25.50

16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.56

$2.55 MX$47.55

20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.79

$2.12 MX$39.58

-44.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.94 MX$36.13

-32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.90

$1.89 MX$35.16

-36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.15 MX$21.37

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$1.18 MX$21.98

-43.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 MYR 20.72

$4.30 MX$80.1

18.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.20 MYR 78.2

$9.95 MX$185

92.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.59

$0.55 MX$10.31

16.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.76 MYR 60.1

$26.62 MX$496

-44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$4.97 MX$92.6

-68.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.44 MX$26.92

-46.53%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

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

$24.53 MYR 99.9

$84.8 MX$1,581

-71.07%

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

$11.64 MYR 47.44

$23.41 MX$436

-50.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 MYR 127

$28.66 MX$534

8.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.63 MYR 121

$57.1 MX$1,063

-48.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 MYR 30.10

$28.91 MX$539

-74.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.66

$5.14 MX$95.8

-6.03%

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

$207 MX$3,851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 MYR 160

$43.35 MX$808

-9.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.27 MYR 107

$41.44 MX$772

-36.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 MYR 261

$74.2 MX$1,383

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MYR 329

$89.3 MX$1,664

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 MYR 804

$980 MX$18.3K

-79.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 902

$381 MX$7,099

-41.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 MYR 2,022

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-70.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 MYR 2,316

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-47.13%

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)

$965 MYR 3,931

$735 MX$13.7K

31.35%

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 Bayan Lepas: 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

Bayan Lepas

$221 30.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 72% $159

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 38.2% $70

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$109 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 85.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$95 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 103% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 71.4% $28

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 168% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Bayan Lepas and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17 in Bayan Lepas vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $255 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

13 h behind Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bayan Lepas Playa del Carmen 17,020 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bayan Lepas
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $735 in Bayan Lepas and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Bayan Lepas is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Bayan Lepas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $197 in Bayan Lepas versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 45% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas 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.

Expats usually find Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.