Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Terengganu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $918 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index
57

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

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Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$918

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Kuala Terengganu $918
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kuala Terengganu $1,412
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,907 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Kuala Terengganu $1,907
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Kuala Terengganu costs roughly 24% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Terengganu 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.51 MYR 10.17

$10.67 MX$200

-76.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.19 MYR 94.1

$43.80 MX$819

-47.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 19.41

$11.79 MX$220

-59.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MYR 11.05

$3.79 MX$70.8

-28.23%

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

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$1.30 MX$24.26

-62.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 MYR 1.15

$0.83 MX$15.59

-66.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 MYR 16.14

$3.15 MX$58.9

26.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 MYR 18.62

$4.93 MX$92.3

-6.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MYR 6.94

$1.41 MX$26.35

21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$2.20 MX$41.07

-50.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.97

$1.47 MX$27.54

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.71

$2.50 MX$46.70

-14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 MYR 54.9

$7.29 MX$136

85.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.21

$7.95 MX$149

-43.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 MYR 40.33

$12.86 MX$241

-22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MYR 13.33

$2.90 MX$54.2

13.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.73

$1.38 MX$25.87

20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 MYR 9.83

$2.49 MX$46.59

-2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.13

$2.03 MX$37.97

-25.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$2.02 MX$37.88

-37.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$1.90 MX$35.60

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.14 MX$21.41

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.24 MX$23.17

-55.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MYR 17.96

$4.27 MX$79.9

3.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 MYR 76.4

$9.81 MX$184

91.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.15

$1.59 MX$29.66

88.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 17.99

$2.75 MX$51.3

61.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.91

$0.51 MX$9.63

41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.80

$27.39 MX$512

-56.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$4.76 MX$89.1

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$3.25 MX$60.8

-82.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 MYR 30.07

$5.39 MX$101

37.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 MYR 3.19

$1.53 MX$28.58

-48.37%

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

$44.8K MYR 181.6K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

111.00%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.0K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

51.56%

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

$49.59 MYR 201

$83.5 MX$1,562

-40.60%

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

$9.83 MYR 39.87

$23.19 MX$434

-57.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 MYR 115

$27.61 MX$516

2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.05 MYR 150

$56.4 MX$1,056

-34.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 MYR 26.25

$28.19 MX$527

-77.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.39

$5.00 MX$93.5

-4.40%

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

$235 MYR 955

$207 MX$3,873

13.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,971 MYR 28.3K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

33.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MYR 230

$43.45 MX$813

30.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.64 MYR 141

$42.54 MX$796

-18.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 324

$72.8 MX$1,361

9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 MYR 306

$88.4 MX$1,653

-14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 MYR 1,651

$995 MX$18.6K

-59.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MYR 1,201

$382 MX$7,152

-22.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 MYR 2,905

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 MYR 2,212

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-49.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,017 MYR 8,181

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-48.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,175 MYR 4,768

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-80.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.45

-64.54%

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

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Terengganu

$296 32.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 29.1% $86

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Terengganu

$258 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Terengganu

$111 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Kuala Terengganu

$99 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 102% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Terengganu

$88 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 53% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Terengganu

$47 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 42.5% $20

Getting Around

Kuala Terengganu

$19 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 167% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Kuala Terengganu and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Kuala Terengganu vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

19:00 7:00 PM

13 h behind Kuala Terengganu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

375,424

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Terengganu Playa del Carmen 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $918 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, so Kuala Terengganu is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,377 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Kuala Terengganu versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 56% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $918 per month in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Kuala Terengganu is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $918 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.