Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negombo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $405 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$405

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $405 in Negombo versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Negombo $405
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $650 in Negombo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Negombo $650
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $895 in Negombo versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Negombo $895
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Negombo costs roughly 66% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Negombo 70% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 LKR 1,298

$10.67 MX$201

-63.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.85 LKR 4,939

$43.80 MX$824

-66.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 LKR 2,473

$11.79 MX$222

-36.90%

Cappuccino

$1.47 LKR 488

$3.79 MX$71.2

-61.21%

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

$0.63 LKR 209

$1.30 MX$24.41

-51.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.83 MX$15.69

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$3.15 MX$59.2

-30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,009

$4.93 MX$92.9

-38.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 540

$1.41 MX$26.51

14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 LKR 192

$2.20 MX$41.32

-73.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.47 MX$27.71

-44.90%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 563

$2.50 MX$46.99

-32.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 LKR 5,046

$7.29 MX$137

108.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 LKR 1,426

$7.95 MX$150

-46.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.98 LKR 1,990

$12.86 MX$242

-53.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 LKR 619

$2.90 MX$54.5

-35.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 LKR 212

$1.38 MX$26.03

-53.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 LKR 730

$2.49 MX$46.88

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 LKR 383

$2.03 MX$38.20

-43.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 243

$2.02 MX$38.11

-63.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 261

$1.90 MX$35.82

-58.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 LKR 311

$1.14 MX$21.54

-17.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$1.24 MX$23.32

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 LKR 3,367

$4.27 MX$80.4

137.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.40 LKR 4,457

$9.81 MX$185

36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$1.59 MX$29.85

24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 LKR 955

$2.75 MX$51.7

4.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 96.0

$0.51 MX$9.69

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 135

$4.76 MX$89.6

-91.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 111

$3.25 MX$61.1

-89.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 310

$5.39 MX$101

-82.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.53 MX$28.76

-35.29%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.3M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

102.78%

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

$46.5K LKR 15.5M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

100.00%

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

$25.87 LKR 8,603

$83.5 MX$1,571

-69.01%

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

$4.24 LKR 1,410

$23.19 MX$436

-81.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 LKR 6,931

$27.61 MX$520

-24.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.24 LKR 5,068

$56.4 MX$1,062

-72.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.93 LKR 2,970

$28.19 MX$531

-68.32%

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 795

$5.00 MX$94.1

-52.20%

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

$40.29 LKR 13.4K

$207 MX$3,897

-80.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$445 LKR 148.1K

$5,231 MX$98.4K

-91.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.91 LKR 2,964

$43.45 MX$818

-79.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.26 LKR 5,741

$42.54 MX$801

-59.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.08 LKR 12.0K

$72.8 MX$1,369

-50.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.91 LKR 7,953

$88.4 MX$1,663

-72.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 LKR 60.0K

$832 MX$15.7K

-78.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

11.45

9.17%

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

Last update for Negombo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negombo

$200 49.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 28.7% $57

Eating Out

Negombo

$92 22.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 118% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negombo

$51 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 164% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Negombo

$39 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 187% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Negombo

$20 5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 232% $46

Getting Around

Negombo

$3.2 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1462% $47

Accommodation & Living

Negombo

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Negombo vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $257 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Negombo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

10 h 30 min behind Negombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,449

149,923

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Negombo Playa del Carmen 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Negombo
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

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

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Negombo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $40 in Negombo versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $15 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $405 in Negombo versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Negombo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.