Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Bentota versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Bentota $777
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bentota $896
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,014 in Bentota versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Bentota $1,014
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Bentota costs roughly 35% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bentota 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 LKR 1,257

$10.67 MX$199

-64.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 LKR 3,992

$43.80 MX$815

-72.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 LKR 2,447

$11.79 MX$219

-37.57%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 822

$3.79 MX$70.5

-34.83%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.30 MX$24.14

-45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.83 MX$15.51

-69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$3.15 MX$58.6

-30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,031

$4.93 MX$91.8

-37.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 523

$1.41 MX$26.22

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$2.20 MX$40.86

-76.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$1.47 MX$27.40

-45.58%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 549

$2.50 MX$46.47

-34.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 LKR 5,049

$7.29 MX$136

108.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 LKR 1,119

$7.95 MX$148

-57.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,488

$12.86 MX$239

-65.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 LKR 2,247

$2.90 MX$53.9

133.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$1.38 MX$25.74

-44.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 LKR 1,356

$2.49 MX$46.36

63.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$2.03 MX$37.78

-57.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 LKR 357

$2.02 MX$37.69

-47.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 274

$1.90 MX$35.42

-56.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.14 MX$21.30

6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$1.24 MX$23.06

-66.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 LKR 3,347

$4.27 MX$79.5

135.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,554

$9.81 MX$183

39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 631

$1.59 MX$29.51

19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 LKR 956

$2.75 MX$51.1

4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.4

$0.51 MX$9.58

-62.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$4.76 MX$88.6

-92.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 96.3

$3.25 MX$60.5

-91.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$5.39 MX$100

-82.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 461

$1.53 MX$28.44

-9.15%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

107.63%

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

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

93.38%

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

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

$83.5 MX$1,554

-31.31%

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

$2.32 LKR 770

$23.19 MX$431

-90.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.88 LKR 2,952

$27.61 MX$514

-67.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,526

$5.00 MX$93.1

-8.20%

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

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

$207 MX$3,854

-80.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

232.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.34 LKR 6,102

$43.45 MX$809

-57.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.33 LKR 5,763

$42.54 MX$792

-59.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$72.8 MX$1,354

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-53.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 LKR 181.7K

$995 MX$18.5K

-45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 LKR 100.4K

$382 MX$7,116

-21.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

11.45

9.17%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$302 38.8%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 26.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$223 28.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 15.5% $35

Eating Out

Bentota

$103 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 94.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$70 9%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 59.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$69 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 95.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 625% $57

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1855% $48

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 $546 in Bentota and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Bentota vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $257 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

10:35 10:35 AM

10 h 30 min behind Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bentota Playa del Carmen 16,690 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Bentota
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

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

Bentota is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,166 in Bentota and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $546 in Bentota versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $777 per month in Bentota versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Bentota is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.