Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $969 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
57

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

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Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $969 in Labuan versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Labuan $969
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,507 in Labuan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Labuan $1,507
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Labuan versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Labuan $2,045
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Labuan costs roughly 19% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Labuan 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 MYR 22.13

$10.67 MX$199

-48.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.74 MYR 100

$43.80 MX$815

-43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 MYR 28.06

$11.79 MX$219

-41.39%

Cappuccino

$3.96 MYR 16.06

$3.79 MX$70.5

4.49%

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

$1.07 MYR 4.33

$1.30 MX$24.14

-17.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.83 MX$15.51

-50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 MYR 15.53

$3.15 MX$58.6

21.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MYR 18.79

$4.93 MX$91.8

-6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MYR 7.18

$1.41 MX$26.22

25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.25

$2.20 MX$40.86

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.47 MX$27.40

-2.04%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.17

$2.50 MX$46.46

-9.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 MYR 68.2

$7.29 MX$136

130.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 MYR 18.42

$7.95 MX$148

-42.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 MYR 38.14

$12.86 MX$239

-26.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$2.90 MX$53.9

13.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$1.38 MX$25.74

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.49 MX$46.35

1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MYR 6.41

$2.03 MX$37.77

-22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$2.02 MX$37.68

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$1.90 MX$35.42

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.14 MX$21.30

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$1.24 MX$23.05

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.44

$4.27 MX$79.5

0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 MYR 77.5

$9.81 MX$183

94.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.09

$1.59 MX$29.51

87.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 18.02

$2.75 MX$51.1

61.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.51 MX$9.58

37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.19 MYR 49.50

$27.39 MX$510

-55.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$4.76 MX$88.6

-74.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MYR 2.34

$3.25 MX$60.5

-82.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 29.96

$5.39 MX$100

36.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.53 MX$28.44

-49.67%

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

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

109.37%

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

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

54.33%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$83.5 MX$1,554

-41.43%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.23

$23.19 MX$431

-58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 MYR 117

$27.61 MX$514

4.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.51 MYR 152

$56.4 MX$1,050

-33.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 MYR 27.35

$28.19 MX$525

-76.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MYR 17.82

$5.00 MX$93.1

-12.20%

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

$241 MYR 979

$207 MX$3,854

16.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

32.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MYR 224

$43.45 MX$809

27.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 MYR 139

$42.54 MX$792

-19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 333

$72.8 MX$1,354

12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 MYR 310

$88.4 MX$1,645

-13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,661

$995 MX$18.5K

-58.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 MYR 1,181

$382 MX$7,116

-23.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 MYR 2,972

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-56.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 MYR 2,261

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-48.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,970 MYR 8,002

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-49.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,839

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-80.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 MYR 1,471

$832 MX$15.5K

-56.48%

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 Labuan: November 1, 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

Labuan

$291 30%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 31.5% $92

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$268 27.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Labuan

$146 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 37.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$111 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$87 9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 53.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$46 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 43.6% $20

Getting Around

Labuan

$19 2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 165% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Labuan and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Labuan vs $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

02:40 2:40 AM

13 h behind Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Labuan Playa del Carmen 16,240 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
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

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

Labuan is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Labuan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $409 in Labuan versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $241 in Labuan versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Playa del Carmen pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Labuan wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.