Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $956 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in George Town versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

George Town $956
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,599 in George Town versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

George Town $1,599
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,243 in George Town versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

George Town $2,243
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in George Town costs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 MYR 13.92

$10.76 MX$199

-68.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.33 MYR 62.5

$43.03 MX$795

-64.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MYR 18.58

$11.79 MX$218

-61.41%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.66

$3.87 MX$71.4

-32.56%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.16

$1.37 MX$25.29

-43.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.43

$0.84 MX$15.44

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.88

$3.10 MX$57.3

-21.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.21

$5.07 MX$93.6

-12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MYR 7.56

$1.44 MX$26.55

28.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$2.23 MX$41.23

-52.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$1.47 MX$27.17

14.29%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 9.03

$2.53 MX$46.71

-12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.7

$7.30 MX$135

86.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$7.86 MX$145

-42.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 MYR 34.62

$12.79 MX$236

-33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.89

$2.90 MX$53.6

-16.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.44 MX$26.53

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.12

$2.55 MX$47.07

-12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$2.06 MX$38.03

-42.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MYR 3.77

$2.00 MX$36.97

-53.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$2.01 MX$37.07

-57.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.19 MX$22.02

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$1.26 MX$23.23

-54.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$4.40 MX$81.4

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 76.5

$9.59 MX$177

95.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 MYR 9.89

$1.59 MX$29.41

52.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.65

$2.81 MX$51.9

27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.91

$0.57 MX$10.47

-17.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.84 MYR 44.23

$27.82 MX$514

-61.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.08

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$3.50 MX$64.6

-85.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 MYR 28.03

$5.40 MX$99.8

27.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 MYR 3.42

$1.47 MX$27.08

-42.86%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

101.66%

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

$28.7K MYR 117.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

20.00%

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

$36.87 MYR 150

$84.2 MX$1,556

-56.22%

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

$8.21 MYR 33.50

$23.99 MX$443

-65.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.51 MYR 116

$29.02 MX$536

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 MYR 164

$63.0 MX$1,164

-36.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$29.14 MX$539

-82.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 19.42

$4.94 MX$91.3

-3.64%

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

$173 MYR 704

$204 MX$3,763

-15.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,848 MYR 19.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

23.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MYR 216

$43.60 MX$806

21.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.45 MYR 141

$43.12 MX$797

-20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 MYR 304

$75.8 MX$1,400

-1.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 MYR 285

$88.6 MX$1,637

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MYR 2,059

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-49.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MYR 1,524

$374 MX$6,911

-0.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MYR 3,803

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-45.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MYR 4,046

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-10.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 MYR 4,461

$754 MX$13.9K

45.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

11.45

-64.72%

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

Last update for George Town: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$374 39.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 0.1% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$240 25.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 7.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$104 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 8.3% $8.7

Eating Out

George Town

$98 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 107% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$74 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 86.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$50 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 46.5% $23

Getting Around

George Town

$17 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 218% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in George Town and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15.00 in George Town vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $258 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

13 h behind George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Town Playa del Carmen 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
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

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

George Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in George Town, 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: $505 in George Town versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 157% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $173 in George Town versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $956 in George Town versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George Town but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes George Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George Town and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find George Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.