Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Kuala Belait costs about 42% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuala Belait sits 28% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$10.76 MX$199

-26.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$43.03 MX$795

8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$11.79 MX$218

-34.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$3.87 MX$71.4

15.25%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$1.37 MX$25.29

-31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.84 MX$15.44

-36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$1.44 MX$26.55

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$2.23 MX$41.23

12.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$1.47 MX$27.17

54.42%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.53 MX$46.71

2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$7.30 MX$135

161.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$7.86 MX$145

24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$12.79 MX$236

94.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$2.90 MX$53.6

66.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$1.44 MX$26.53

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$2.55 MX$47.07

92.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$2.06 MX$38.03

25.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$2.00 MX$36.97

-16.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$2.01 MX$37.07

42.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$1.19 MX$22.02

359.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$1.26 MX$23.23

-26.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$4.40 MX$81.4

75.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$4.98 MX$92.1

-19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$3.50 MX$64.6

-4.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$5.40 MX$99.8

113.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$1.47 MX$27.08

-75.51%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

46.40%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

13.64%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$84.2 MX$1,556

-53.27%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$23.99 MX$443

-9.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$29.02 MX$536

125.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$63.0 MX$1,164

57.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$29.14 MX$539

-7.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$4.94 MX$91.3

12.55%

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

$214 BND 274

$204 MX$3,763

5.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

132.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$43.60 MX$806

73.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$43.12 MX$797

139.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$75.8 MX$1,400

102.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$88.6 MX$1,637

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$374 MX$6,911

108.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-30.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$1,106 MX$20.4K

7.43%

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)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$754 MX$13.9K

345.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

11.45

-66.11%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 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

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 52.1% $406

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 27.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 38.2% $70

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 39% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 33.9% $37

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 154% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Kuala Belait versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 346% higher in Kuala Belait, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Kuala Belait versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

13 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

149,923

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Playa del Carmen 16,370 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kuala Belait, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Kuala Belait and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Kuala Belait and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,723 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.