Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Langkawi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $537 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
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Langkawi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $537 per month in Langkawi vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Langkawi $537
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $770 per month in Langkawi vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Langkawi $770
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Langkawi vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Langkawi $1,003
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Langkawi is about 56% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Langkawi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Langkawi 60% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 MYR 13.33

$10.76 MX$199

-69.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.71 MYR 80.4

$43.03 MX$795

-54.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 MYR 26.04

$11.79 MX$218

-45.89%

Cappuccino

$1.65 MYR 6.72

$3.87 MX$71.4

-57.36%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$1.37 MX$25.29

-40.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.18

$0.84 MX$15.44

-36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$3.10 MX$57.3

-44.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MYR 9.22

$5.07 MX$93.6

-55.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.44 MX$26.55

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 MYR 5.36

$2.23 MX$41.23

-41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

Eggs

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$2.53 MX$46.71

-29.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 MYR 71.3

$7.30 MX$135

139.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$2.90 MX$53.6

-30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 MYR 4.05

$1.44 MX$26.53

-31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.86

$2.55 MX$47.07

-34.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$2.06 MX$38.03

-18.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 MYR 3.09

$2.01 MX$37.07

-62.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 MYR 15.04

$4.40 MX$81.4

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 MYR 36.00

$9.59 MX$177

-8.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.59 MX$29.41

-40.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$2.81 MX$51.9

-57.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.57

$1.47 MX$27.08

-40.14%

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

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

16.34%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$36.65 MYR 150

$84.2 MX$1,556

-56.48%

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

$23.99 MX$443

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.82 MYR 101

$63.0 MX$1,164

-60.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,255

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-69.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 MYR 997

$374 MX$6,911

-34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 MYR 1,528

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-78.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 MYR 1,304

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-71.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,168 MYR 4,765

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-70.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 MYR 5,060

$754 MX$13.9K

64.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Langkawi

$244 45.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 53% $130

Groceries & Markets

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 75.2% $111

Eating Out

Langkawi

$84 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 142% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 274% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 194% $48

Getting Around

Langkawi

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Langkawi

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Langkawi versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 64% higher in Langkawi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Langkawi versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $258 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

17:53 5:53 PM

13 h behind Langkawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,212

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Langkawi
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $537 in Langkawi, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 125% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $806 per month in Langkawi and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Langkawi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Langkawi and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $537 in Langkawi and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Langkawi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $537 in Langkawi to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Langkawi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.