Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $987 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$987

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $987 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Lumut, Perak $987
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Lumut, Perak versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Lumut, Perak $1,449
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,910 in Lumut, Perak versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Lumut, Perak $1,910
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Lumut, Perak costs roughly 18% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.56 MYR 14.52

$10.76 MX$199

-66.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.21 MYR 49.79

$43.03 MX$795

-71.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 MYR 20.06

$11.79 MX$218

-58.27%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MYR 12.14

$3.87 MX$71.4

-23.26%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$1.37 MX$25.29

-39.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$0.84 MX$15.44

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 MYR 15.65

$3.10 MX$57.3

23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 MYR 24.34

$5.07 MX$93.6

17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 MYR 8.73

$1.44 MX$26.55

48.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.38

$2.23 MX$41.23

-52.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.25

$1.47 MX$27.17

37.41%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.05

$2.53 MX$46.71

-2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$7.30 MX$135

89.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.88

$7.86 MX$145

-44.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 MYR 40.36

$12.79 MX$236

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 MYR 13.68

$2.90 MX$53.6

15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.45

$1.44 MX$26.53

27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.18

$2.55 MX$47.07

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$2.06 MX$38.03

-22.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.24

$2.00 MX$36.97

-36.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.52

$2.01 MX$37.07

-32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.82

$1.19 MX$22.02

-0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 MYR 2.68

$1.26 MX$23.23

-47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$4.40 MX$81.4

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 MYR 80.2

$9.59 MX$177

105.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 MYR 14.31

$1.59 MX$29.41

120.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 MYR 20.51

$2.81 MX$51.9

79.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.62

$0.57 MX$10.47

12.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.47 MYR 46.78

$27.82 MX$514

-58.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.03

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 MYR 4.92

$3.50 MX$64.6

-65.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 MYR 20.06

$5.40 MX$99.8

-8.89%

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)

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

101.17%

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

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

42.22%

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

$61.4 MYR 251

$84.2 MX$1,556

-27.05%

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

$8.79 MYR 35.87

$23.99 MX$443

-63.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.41 MYR 108

$29.02 MX$536

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.77 MYR 154

$63.0 MX$1,164

-40.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 MYR 28.29

$29.14 MX$539

-76.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MYR 20.89

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.64%

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

$303 MYR 1,236

$204 MX$3,763

48.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K MYR 52.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

227.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 MYR 289

$43.60 MX$806

62.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 MYR 168

$43.12 MX$797

-4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 357

$75.8 MX$1,400

15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 MYR 388

$88.6 MX$1,637

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MYR 1,657

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-59.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,222

$374 MX$6,911

-19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 MYR 2,798

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-59.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MYR 1,940

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-57.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 MYR 9,407

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-41.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,183 MYR 4,824

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-80.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$381 MYR 1,555

$754 MX$13.9K

-49.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

11.45

-63.49%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 10, 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

Lumut, Perak

$299 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 24.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$274 27.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 5.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 14.8% $20

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 76% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 42% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$48 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 51.8% $25

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$21 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 147% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Lumut, Perak and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 98% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12.00 in Lumut, Perak vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

13 h behind Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lumut, Perak Playa del Carmen 17,130 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Lumut, Perak
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

Lumut, Perak vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $987 per month in Lumut, Perak versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $987 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lumut, Perak but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lumut, Perak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lumut, Perak delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $987 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lumut, Perak hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lumut, Perak and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lumut, Perak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.