Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kemaman and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $897 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
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Kemaman Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$897

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $897 per month in Kemaman vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kemaman $897
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,369 per month in Kemaman vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kemaman $1,369
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,841 per month in Kemaman vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kemaman $1,841
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kemaman is about 26% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kemaman and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kemaman 34% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.62 MYR 10.60

$10.92 MX$205

-76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.92 MYR 60.5

$43.37 MX$815

-65.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 MYR 17.83

$11.78 MX$221

-62.65%

Cappuccino

$3.09 MYR 12.51

$3.81 MX$71.6

-18.90%

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

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$1.28 MX$24.10

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$0.78 MX$14.71

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.29

$3.17 MX$59.5

3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 MYR 23.36

$4.93 MX$92.7

16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.63

$1.41 MX$26.43

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$2.22 MX$41.66

-53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 MYR 4.11

$1.42 MX$26.64

-28.87%

Eggs

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$2.52 MX$47.41

-54.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 MYR 38.95

$7.26 MX$137

32.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 MYR 12.95

$7.70 MX$145

-58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 MYR 37.69

$12.69 MX$239

-26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.57

$2.78 MX$52.3

29.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 MYR 7.59

$1.37 MX$25.71

36.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.62

$2.55 MX$47.94

2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.37

$2.12 MX$39.90

-14.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MYR 8.80

$1.94 MX$36.43

11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.26

$1.89 MX$35.44

7.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MYR 5.96

$1.15 MX$21.55

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$1.18 MX$22.16

-56.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 MYR 18.52

$4.30 MX$80.7

6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.42 MYR 78.7

$9.95 MX$187

95.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MYR 11.04

$1.58 MX$29.76

72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 18.00

$2.67 MX$50.2

66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$0.55 MX$10.40

38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.79 MYR 43.76

$26.62 MX$500

-59.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.86

$4.97 MX$93.4

-75.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$3.33 MX$62.6

-89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 MYR 36.09

$5.36 MX$101

66.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$1.44 MX$27.14

-66.67%

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

$46.4K MYR 188.0K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

124.35%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

53.73%

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

$49.04 MYR 199

$84.8 MX$1,594

-42.16%

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

$8.25 MYR 33.44

$23.41 MX$440

-64.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.11 MYR 110

$28.66 MX$539

-5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 MYR 169

$57.1 MX$1,072

-26.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.29 MYR 25.51

$28.91 MX$543

-78.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.42

$5.14 MX$96.6

-6.81%

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

$123 MYR 498

$207 MX$3,882

-40.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K MYR 41.9K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

163.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 MYR 211

$43.35 MX$815

19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 MYR 122

$41.44 MX$779

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 MYR 319

$74.2 MX$1,394

5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 MYR 349

$89.3 MX$1,677

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 MYR 1,760

$980 MX$18.4K

-55.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 MYR 1,167

$381 MX$7,157

-24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 MYR 2,579

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-62.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 MYR 2,214

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-49.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,062 MYR 8,361

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-47.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 MYR 4,333

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-82.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

11.45

-60.61%

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

Last update for Kemaman: 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

Kemaman

$288 32.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 32.3% $93

Groceries & Markets

Kemaman

$243 27.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kemaman

$111 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 0.6% $0.7

Eating Out

Kemaman

$102 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 97.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kemaman

$84 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Kemaman

$51 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 31.1% $16

Getting Around

Kemaman

$17 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 200% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Kemaman versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Kemaman versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $255 – making Kemaman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

13 h behind Kemaman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,582

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Kemaman
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,346 per month in Kemaman and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kemaman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Kemaman and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $897 in Kemaman and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Kemaman about 26% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kemaman, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kemaman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kemaman – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Kemaman is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.