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 70.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 80.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lihir Island is 58.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 79.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.78 PGK 20.41

$11.88 MX$210

-59.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.76 PGK 123

$41.90 MX$740

-31.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 PGK 25.87

$10.55 MX$186

-42.56%

Cappuccino

$2.43 PGK 10.36

$3.60 MX$63.5

-32.50%

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

$0.69 PGK 2.96

$1.50 MX$26.45

-54.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PGK 3.01

$0.91 MX$16.09

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 PGK 15.42

$3.08 MX$54.4

17.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PGK 10.05

$4.47 MX$78.8

-47.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 PGK 7.26

$1.39 MX$24.54

22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 PGK 6.04

$1.90 MX$33.47

-25.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 PGK 6.00

$1.60 MX$28.27

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.34 PGK 10.00

$2.60 MX$45.97

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 PGK 18.79

$8.64 MX$152

-49.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.44 PGK 10.41

$10.91 MX$192

-77.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.98

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 PGK 6.27

$1.44 MX$25.46

2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.55

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$37.34

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 PGK 10.19

$1.86 MX$32.87

28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 PGK 4.19

$2.22 MX$39.20

-55.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$17.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 PGK 2.13

$1.04 MX$18.36

-51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 PGK 25.71

$4.05 MX$71.5

48.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.22 PGK 39.35

$10.18 MX$180

-9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 PGK 10.12

$1.69 MX$29.79

40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PGK 10.46

$2.62 MX$46.25

-6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.09

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)

$1.32 MX$23.36

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)

$947 MX$16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MX$8,525

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 MX$28.2K

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)

$730 MX$12.9K

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: 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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