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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 32.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 20.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 54.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.58 PGK 43.2

$11.73 MX$222

-9.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.3 PGK 222

$41.52 MX$785

30.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 MX$200

Cappuccino

$2.81 PGK 11.48

$3.49 MX$65.9

-19.48%

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

$0.85 PGK 3.47

$1.45 MX$27.33

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 PGK 2.55

$0.97 MX$18.33

-35.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PGK 14.33

$3.03 MX$57.2

15.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 PGK 23.71

$4.59 MX$86.8

26.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 PGK 9.01

$1.42 MX$26.87

55.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 PGK 6.46

$1.87 MX$35.43

-15.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 5.78

$1.54 MX$29.2

-7.79%

Eggs

$4.19 PGK 17.12

$2.6 MX$49.21

61.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 PGK 41.67

$8.32 MX$157

22.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 PGK 39.57

$8.54 MX$161

13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.3 PGK 46.15

$10.67 MX$202

5.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 PGK 19.55

$2.66 MX$50.2

80.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 PGK 11.89

$1.51 MX$28.5

92.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.4 PGK 26.14

$1.9 MX$35.87

236.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 PGK 6.81

$2.19 MX$41.45

-23.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 PGK 14.75

$1.78 MX$33.7

102.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 PGK 10.36

$2.17 MX$41.05

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 PGK 3.01

$1.07 MX$20.14

-30.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PGK 3.83

$1.09 MX$20.53

-13.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.22 PGK 29.46

$4.17 MX$78.8

73.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 PGK 53.5

$8.75 MX$165

49.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 PGK 11.09

$1.69 MX$31.91

60.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 PGK 18.54

$2.53 MX$47.74

79.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 PGK 1.52

$0.51 MX$9.59

-27.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.97 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$61.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$47.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 PGK 4.58

$1.26 MX$23.87

-11.11%

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

$29.8K MX$564.1K

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

$23.4K MX$442.5K

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

$84.2 MX$1,592

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

$22.8 MX$431

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 MX$568

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$972

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 MX$346

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MX$94.1

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

$197 MX$3,719

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,254 MX$99.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.81 MX$677

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.43 MX$745

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 MX$1,529

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 MX$1,631

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,910 PGK 32.3K

$968 MX$18.3K

716.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 PGK 3,115

$478 MX$9,037

59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 PGK 5,898

$1,631 MX$30.8K

-11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 MX$22.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,137 MX$59.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,586 MX$143.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 PGK 672

$805 MX$15.2K

-79.56%

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: November 2, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

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