Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kolonnawa $488
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kolonnawa $794
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kolonnawa is about 59% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kolonnawa and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kolonnawa 64% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$10.92 MX$204

-64.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$43.37 MX$808

-41.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$11.78 MX$220

-37.35%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$3.81 MX$71.0

-35.70%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.28 MX$23.90

-44.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.78 MX$14.59

-67.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$3.17 MX$59.0

-31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$4.93 MX$92.0

-37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.41 MX$26.22

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$2.22 MX$41.33

-76.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$1.42 MX$26.42

-59.15%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.52 MX$47.03

-34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$7.26 MX$135

45.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$7.70 MX$143

-39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$12.69 MX$237

-42.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$2.78 MX$51.9

142.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$1.37 MX$25.50

-37.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$2.55 MX$47.55

73.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$2.12 MX$39.58

-37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.94 MX$36.13

-46.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.89 MX$35.16

-59.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.15 MX$21.37

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$1.18 MX$21.98

-63.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$4.30 MX$80.1

140.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$9.95 MX$185

5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$1.58 MX$29.52

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$2.67 MX$49.79

-16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$0.55 MX$10.31

-70.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$4.97 MX$92.6

-91.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$3.33 MX$62.1

-89.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$5.36 MX$99.8

-82.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.44 MX$26.92

-7.64%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

112.22%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

75.21%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-29.73%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$23.41 MX$436

-82.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$28.66 MX$534

-27.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$5.14 MX$95.8

-9.53%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$207 MX$3,851

-81.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-69.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$43.35 MX$808

-58.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$41.44 MX$772

-59.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$74.2 MX$1,383

7.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-53.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

11.45

10.83%

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

Last update for Kolonnawa: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 17.1% $37

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 96% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 58.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 624% $58

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1708% $48

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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 Kolonnawa versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $255 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

17:14 5:14 PM

10 h 30 min behind Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

149,923

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kolonnawa Playa del Carmen 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Kolonnawa
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 147% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kolonnawa and $1,806 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 $488 in Kolonnawa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Kolonnawa about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Kolonnawa 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kolonnawa 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. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.