Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandana and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 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 Kandana
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Kandana Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $509 per month in Kandana vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kandana $509
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $827 per month in Kandana vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kandana $827
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,145 per month in Kandana vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kandana $1,145
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Kandana is about 58% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 LKR 1,252

$10.67 MX$199

-64.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.18 LKR 8,377

$43.80 MX$815

-42.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 LKR 2,477

$11.79 MX$219

-36.81%

Cappuccino

$2.43 LKR 808

$3.79 MX$70.5

-35.88%

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

$0.72 LKR 238

$1.30 MX$24.14

-44.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.6

$0.83 MX$15.51

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 726

$3.15 MX$58.6

-30.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,025

$4.93 MX$91.8

-37.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$2.20 MX$40.86

-75.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.47 MX$27.40

-48.98%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 549

$2.50 MX$46.47

-34.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.19 LKR 5,051

$7.29 MX$136

108.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,622

$7.95 MX$148

-38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 LKR 2,581

$12.86 MX$239

-39.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 LKR 2,238

$2.90 MX$53.9

132.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 273

$1.38 MX$25.74

-40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 LKR 1,368

$2.49 MX$46.36

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 426

$2.03 MX$37.78

-36.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 343

$2.02 MX$37.69

-49.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$1.90 MX$35.42

-56.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 LKR 413

$1.14 MX$21.30

8.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$1.24 MX$23.06

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 LKR 3,378

$4.27 MX$79.5

137.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 LKR 4,464

$9.81 MX$183

36.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 623

$1.59 MX$29.51

17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 988

$2.75 MX$51.1

8.00%

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 126

$4.76 MX$88.6

-92.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 111

$3.25 MX$60.5

-89.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 288

$5.39 MX$100

-84.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 457

$1.53 MX$28.44

-10.46%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

108.26%

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

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

95.67%

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

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

$83.5 MX$1,554

-31.19%

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

$4.30 LKR 1,430

$23.19 MX$431

-81.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.55 LKR 6,835

$27.61 MX$514

-25.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,480

$5.00 MX$93.1

-11.00%

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

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

$207 MX$3,854

-80.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

228.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.24 LKR 6,065

$43.45 MX$809

-58.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.49 LKR 5,817

$42.54 MX$792

-58.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

$72.8 MX$1,354

9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-53.68%

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 Kandana: November 3, 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

Kandana

$243 47.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 6% $15

Eating Out

Kandana

$103 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 95.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandana

$82 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 63.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Kandana

$70 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 57.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 647% $58

Getting Around

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2361% $48

Accommodation & Living

Kandana

- * 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 Kandana versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $257 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandana

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

10 h 30 min behind Kandana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kandana Playa del Carmen 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandana
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Kandana and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $509 in Kandana and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Kandana about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $40 per month in Kandana and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.