Cost of Living Comparison Between Lihir Island and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lihir Island and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Lihir Island is 64.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 80.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lihir Island is 60.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 77.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.88 PGK 20.99

$11.85 MX$212

-58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.18 PGK 125

$42.16 MX$755

-30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 PGK 25.98

$10.75 MX$192

-43.81%

Cappuccino

$2.36 PGK 10.16

$3.47 MX$62.2

-31.99%

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

$0.69 PGK 2.98

$1.45 MX$26.01

-52.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PGK 3.01

$0.90 MX$16.16

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 PGK 15.69

$3.05 MX$54.7

19.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PGK 10.21

$4.42 MX$79.1

-46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 PGK 7.27

$1.37 MX$24.51

23.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 PGK 6.04

$1.87 MX$33.51

-25.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 PGK 6.37

$1.54 MX$27.63

-3.90%

Eggs

$2.27 PGK 9.76

$2.50 MX$44.81

-9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$154

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PGK 19.03

$8.63 MX$155

-48.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.35 PGK 10.11

$11.02 MX$197

-78.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$49.22

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 PGK 6.26

$1.43 MX$25.56

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.52

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.80

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 PGK 10.17

$1.88 MX$33.70

26.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 PGK 4.24

$2.25 MX$40.21

-56.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$19.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 PGK 2.13

$1.07 MX$19.22

-53.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 PGK 25.89

$4.15 MX$74.4

45.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.44 PGK 40.59

$10.34 MX$185

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.45

$1.68 MX$30.06

44.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 PGK 10.57

$2.48 MX$44.46

-0.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$475

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$57.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$55.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.48

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

$30.7K MX$548.8K

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

$24.0K MX$430.3K

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

$82.5 MX$1,476

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

$22.29 MX$399

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$537

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$921

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$327

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$89.2

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

$200 MX$3,580

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$639

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$708

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,442

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,581

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,632

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$21.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.5K

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 Lihir Island: March 1, 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

Similar cities

Altos

🇵🇾 Paraguay

Mandalay

🇲🇲 Myanmar

Urganch

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

Moshi

🇹🇿 Tanzania

Pyongyang

🇰🇵 North Korea

Nalut

🇱🇾 Libya

Afgoye

🇸🇴 Somalia

Carriacou

🇬🇩 Grenada