Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuching is 25% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 31.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 45.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.89 MYR 11.39
$11.85 MX$211
-75.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.78 MYR 78.0
$42.16 MX$750
-53.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 MYR 18.76
$10.75 MX$191
-55.72%
Cappuccino
$2.45 MYR 9.66
$3.47 MX$61.8
-29.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 MYR 2.77
$1.45 MX$25.85
-51.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 MYR 1.16
$0.90 MX$16.06
-66.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.90 MYR 11.41
$3.05 MX$54.3
-4.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.60 MYR 14.18
$4.42 MX$78.6
-18.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 MYR 7.38
$1.37 MX$24.36
36.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 MYR 4.42
$1.87 MX$33.31
-40.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 MYR 4.04
$1.54 MX$27.46
-33.77%
Eggs
$2.19 MYR 8.62
$2.50 MX$44.53
-12.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.74 MYR 38.37
$8.61 MX$153
13.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.85 MYR 15.19
$8.63 MX$154
-55.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.02 MYR 31.61
$11.02 MX$196
-27.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 MYR 11.77
$2.75 MX$48.91
8.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.10 MYR 4.35
$1.43 MX$25.41
-23.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.53 MYR 9.97
$1.87 MX$33.32
35.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 MYR 7.16
$2.17 MX$38.56
-16.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 MYR 4.41
$1.88 MX$33.50
-40.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 MYR 4.90
$2.25 MX$39.96
-44.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.68 MYR 6.60
$1.07 MX$18.99
57.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 MYR 1.93
$1.07 MX$19.10
-54.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.19 MYR 16.52
$4.15 MX$73.9
0.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.67 MYR 85.4
$10.34 MX$184
109.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.88 MYR 15.31
$1.68 MX$29.87
130.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 MYR 13.73
$2.48 MX$44.19
40.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 MYR 0.99
$0.55 MX$9.87
-54.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.85 MYR 46.70
$26.53 MX$472
-55.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 MYR 3.66
$3.22 MX$57.2
-71.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 MYR 4.33
$2.48 MX$44.15
-55.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.95 MYR 7.67
$3.11 MX$55.3
-37.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.49 MYR 1.95
$1.26 MX$22.34
-61.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.7K MYR 180.2K
$30.7K MX$545.4K
49.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.0K MYR 145.6K
$24.0K MX$427.6K
53.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.74 MYR 164
$82.5 MX$1,467
-49.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.98 MYR 35.37
$22.29 MX$396
-59.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.04 MYR 98.7
$30.02 MX$534
-16.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.52 MYR 116
$51.4 MX$915
-42.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.91 MYR 39.04
$18.29 MX$325
-45.82%
Cinema Ticket
$4.60 MYR 18.12
$4.98 MX$88.7
-7.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 MYR 554
$200 MX$3,558
-29.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,993 MYR 23.6K
$5,304 MX$94.4K
12.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 MYR 263
$35.71 MX$635
87.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.50 MYR 124
$39.56 MX$704
-20.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 MYR 332
$80.6 MX$1,433
4.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.2 MYR 281
$88.3 MX$1,571
-19.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$283 MYR 1,115
$969 MX$17.2K
-70.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$207 MYR 817
$482 MX$8,579
-56.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$559 MYR 2,202
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-64.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 MYR 1,538
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-67.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,168 MYR 8,543
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-46.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,569 MYR 6,180
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-75.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuching
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$546 MYR 2,153
$756 MX$13.5K
-27.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.27
11.42
-62.61%

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

Last update for Kuching: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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