Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 28.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 34.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 40.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.65 MYR 14.33
$11.85 MX$205
-69.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.95 MYR 74.5
$42.16 MX$730
-55.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 MYR 18.61
$10.75 MX$186
-55.91%
Cappuccino
$2.81 MYR 11.06
$3.47 MX$60.2
-19.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 MYR 2.87
$1.45 MX$25.17
-49.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MYR 1.57
$0.90 MX$15.64
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.58 MYR 14.07
$3.05 MX$52.9
17.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 MYR 19.52
$4.42 MX$76.5
12.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 MYR 7.64
$1.37 MX$23.72
41.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 MYR 3.71
$1.87 MX$32.43
-49.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 MYR 7.00
$1.54 MX$26.74
15.58%
Eggs
$2.25 MYR 8.84
$2.50 MX$43.36
-10.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 MYR 41.45
$8.61 MX$149
22.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 MYR 13.96
$8.63 MX$150
-58.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.89 MYR 31.02
$11.02 MX$191
-28.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MYR 10.95
$2.75 MX$47.62
1.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 MYR 6.57
$1.43 MX$24.73
16.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 MYR 9.61
$1.87 MX$32.44
31.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 MYR 4.72
$2.17 MX$37.54
-44.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 MYR 4.63
$1.88 MX$32.61
-37.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 MYR 5.22
$2.25 MX$38.91
-40.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MYR 3.75
$1.07 MX$18.49
-11.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 MYR 2.30
$1.07 MX$18.59
-45.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MYR 16.75
$4.15 MX$72.0
2.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.10 MYR 79.0
$10.34 MX$179
94.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 MYR 10.47
$1.68 MX$29.08
58.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MYR 15.39
$2.48 MX$43.02
58.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 MYR 3.01
$0.55 MX$9.61
40.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.59 MYR 45.55
$26.53 MX$459
-56.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 MYR 4.03
$3.22 MX$55.7
-68.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MYR 1.39
$2.48 MX$42.98
-85.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.50 MYR 37.32
$3.11 MX$53.9
205.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 MYR 1.82
$1.26 MX$21.75
-63.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K MYR 123.9K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
2.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K MYR 111.5K
$24.0K MX$416.4K
18.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.92 MYR 161
$82.5 MX$1,429
-50.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.19 MYR 36.10
$22.29 MX$386
-58.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.78 MYR 89.5
$30.02 MX$520
-24.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.50 MYR 143
$51.4 MX$891
-29.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.22 MYR 28.36
$18.29 MX$317
-60.52%
Cinema Ticket
$4.93 MYR 19.39
$4.98 MX$86.3
-1.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MYR 828
$200 MX$3,464
5.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,077 MYR 31.7K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
52.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.40 MYR 194
$35.71 MX$618
38.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.58 MYR 136
$39.56 MX$685
-12.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 MYR 209
$80.6 MX$1,395
-33.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.25 MYR 190
$88.3 MX$1,530
-45.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$465 MYR 1,826
$969 MX$16.8K
-52.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$339 MYR 1,331
$482 MX$8,352
-29.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 MYR 3,258
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-48.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$545 MYR 2,143
$1,184 MX$20.5K
-53.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,253 MYR 12.8K
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-19.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 MYR 3,156
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-87.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,811 MYR 7,115
$756 MX$13.1K
139.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
11.42
-60.68%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: 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

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