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

🙂 Solo nomad: Madang is 36.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 56.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Madang is 26% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 39.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.61 PGK 28.62
$11.61 MX$200
-43.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.03 PGK 169
$42.75 MX$738
-8.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.97 PGK 47.50
$10.60 MX$183
3.49%
Cappuccino
$2.46 PGK 10.67
$3.59 MX$62.0
-31.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 PGK 5.26
$1.45 MX$25.08
-16.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 PGK 3.25
$0.90 MX$15.50
-16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.91 PGK 12.62
$3.03 MX$52.4
-3.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 PGK 18.40
$4.56 MX$78.8
-6.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 PGK 8.41
$1.45 MX$25.07
33.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 PGK 6.38
$1.83 MX$31.55
-19.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 PGK 6.19
$1.61 MX$27.77
-11.18%
Eggs
$3.31 PGK 14.34
$2.54 MX$43.82
30.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$8.54 MX$148
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.91 PGK 25.57
$8.47 MX$146
-30.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.18 PGK 35.40
$10.86 MX$188
-24.68%
Apples (1kg)
$5.16 PGK 22.36
$2.73 MX$47.13
89.01%
Banana (1kg)
$2.46 PGK 10.63
$1.49 MX$25.77
65.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 PGK 4.22
$1.94 MX$33.55
-50.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.87 PGK 8.11
$2.16 MX$37.38
-13.43%
Potato (1kg)
$4.83 PGK 20.93
$1.85 MX$31.88
161.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 PGK 12.36
$2.19 MX$37.80
30.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$6.06 PGK 26.25
$1.07 MX$18.52
466.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 PGK 2.00
$1.08 MX$18.71
-57.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 PGK 22.83
$4.06 MX$70.1
29.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.54 PGK 49.96
$10.46 MX$181
10.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 PGK 9.09
$1.65 MX$28.56
27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 PGK 10.34
$2.55 MX$44.01
-6.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.14 MX$54.2
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.37 MX$40.96
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.24 MX$56.0
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 PGK 4.81
$1.31 MX$22.70
-15.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.0 PGK 294
$83.1 MX$1,436
-18.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$22.15 MX$383
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.57 PGK 102
$29.37 MX$507
-19.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.2 MX$884
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.69 MX$323
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$4.89 MX$84.4
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$79.0 PGK 342
$199 MX$3,431
-60.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,018 PGK 26.1K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
15.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.51 PGK 84.5
$35.93 MX$621
-45.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.60 PGK 63.2
$39.39 MX$680
-62.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.3 PGK 291
$80.3 MX$1,387
-16.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$28.28 PGK 122
$87.6 MX$1,512
-67.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$963 MX$16.6K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 MX$8,326
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$972 PGK 4,210
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-40.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 PGK 2,614
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-49.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$227 PGK 985
$726 MX$12.5K
-68.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.42
-

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

Last update for Madang: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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