Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dambulla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $512 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$512

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $512 per month in Dambulla vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dambulla $512
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $830 per month in Dambulla vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dambulla $830
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,149 per month in Dambulla vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dambulla $1,149
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Dambulla is about 57% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dambulla and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Dambulla 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,286

$10.67 MX$199

-63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.17 LKR 8,373

$43.80 MX$815

-42.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 LKR 2,541

$11.79 MX$219

-35.20%

Cappuccino

$2.54 LKR 845

$3.79 MX$70.5

-32.98%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$1.30 MX$24.14

-43.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.1

$0.83 MX$15.51

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 746

$3.15 MX$58.6

-28.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 LKR 986

$4.93 MX$91.8

-39.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.41 MX$26.22

11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 177

$2.20 MX$40.86

-75.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 252

$1.47 MX$27.40

-48.30%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 542

$2.50 MX$46.47

-34.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 LKR 5,020

$7.29 MX$136

107.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 LKR 1,640

$7.95 MX$148

-37.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 LKR 2,576

$12.86 MX$239

-39.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 LKR 2,183

$2.90 MX$53.9

126.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 291

$1.38 MX$25.74

-36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 LKR 1,367

$2.49 MX$46.36

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 438

$2.03 MX$37.78

-34.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 346

$2.02 MX$37.69

-48.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 261

$1.90 MX$35.42

-58.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.14 MX$21.30

6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$1.24 MX$23.06

-65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,426

$4.27 MX$79.5

141.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 LKR 4,482

$9.81 MX$183

37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 655

$1.59 MX$29.51

23.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 966

$2.75 MX$51.1

5.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$4.76 MX$88.6

-92.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 110

$3.25 MX$60.5

-89.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 295

$5.39 MX$100

-83.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 444

$1.53 MX$28.44

-13.07%

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

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

106.19%

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

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

98.18%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$83.5 MX$1,554

-30.55%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$23.19 MX$431

-81.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 LKR 6,799

$27.61 MX$514

-25.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,490

$5.00 MX$93.1

-10.40%

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

$40.01 LKR 13.3K

$207 MX$3,854

-80.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

225.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.27 LKR 6,075

$43.45 MX$809

-57.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,767

$42.54 MX$792

-59.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

$72.8 MX$1,354

8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.20 LKR 14.0K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

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 Dambulla: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dambulla

$242 47.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 6.3% $15

Eating Out

Dambulla

$105 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 89.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dambulla

$83 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 62.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Dambulla

$70 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 57.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Dambulla

$9 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 642% $57

Getting Around

Dambulla

$2 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2385% $48

Accommodation & Living

Dambulla

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dambulla versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $257 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

10 h 30 min behind Dambulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dambulla Playa del Carmen 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Dambulla
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $512 in Dambulla, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Dambulla comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $767 per month in Dambulla and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dambulla and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $512, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $512 in Dambulla to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.