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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 44.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 3.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 2.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 56.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 PGK 44.06

$11.88 MX$210

-13.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 PGK 240

$41.90 MX$740

34.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$186

Cappuccino

$2.83 PGK 12.09

$3.60 MX$63.5

-21.39%

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

$0.87 PGK 3.73

$1.50 MX$26.45

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 PGK 2.51

$0.91 MX$16.09

-35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PGK 15.72

$3.08 MX$54.4

19.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 PGK 25.32

$4.47 MX$78.8

32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 PGK 8.99

$1.39 MX$24.54

51.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 PGK 6.72

$1.90 MX$33.47

-17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 5.95

$1.60 MX$28.27

-13.13%

Eggs

$4.34 PGK 18.54

$2.60 MX$45.97

66.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 PGK 43.78

$8.36 MX$148

22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 PGK 42.21

$8.64 MX$152

14.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 PGK 48.74

$10.91 MX$192

4.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 PGK 20.74

$2.61 MX$45.98

86.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 12.99

$1.44 MX$25.46

111.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 PGK 27.91

$1.96 MX$34.55

233.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 PGK 7.34

$2.12 MX$37.34

-18.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 PGK 16.32

$1.86 MX$32.87

105.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 PGK 10.58

$2.22 MX$39.20

11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 PGK 3.16

$1.02 MX$17.99

-27.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 PGK 4.22

$1.04 MX$18.36

-4.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 PGK 30.14

$4.05 MX$71.5

74.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 PGK 55.1

$10.18 MX$180

26.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 PGK 11.64

$1.69 MX$29.79

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 PGK 19.45

$2.62 MX$46.25

74.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 PGK 1.59

$0.51 MX$9.09

-27.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.52 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$55.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 MX$43.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$57.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PGK 4.93

$1.32 MX$23.36

-12.88%

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

$30.1K MX$531.0K

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

$23.8K MX$419.3K

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

$83.5 MX$1,474

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

$22.86 MX$404

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$530

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$916

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 MX$323

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MX$90.4

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

$201 MX$3,541

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,318 MX$93.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.73 MX$631

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$711

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 MX$1,398

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,576

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,981 PGK 34.1K

$947 MX$16.7K

742.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 PGK 3,169

$483 MX$8,525

53.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 PGK 6,029

$1,599 MX$28.2K

-11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,996 MX$70.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,402 MX$113.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 PGK 695

$730 MX$12.9K

-77.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

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

Last update for Lae: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 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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