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% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 22.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 42.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.45 MYR 13.65
$11.61 MX$200
-70.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.09 MYR 75.4
$42.75 MX$738
-55.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.58 MYR 18.09
$10.60 MX$183
-56.79%
Cappuccino
$2.82 MYR 11.12
$3.59 MX$62.0
-21.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 MYR 2.63
$1.45 MX$25.08
-53.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 MYR 1.55
$0.90 MX$15.50
-56.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 MYR 13.61
$3.03 MX$52.4
13.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.21 MYR 20.59
$4.56 MX$78.8
14.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 MYR 7.40
$1.45 MX$25.07
28.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 MYR 4.04
$1.83 MX$31.55
-44.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 MYR 7.06
$1.61 MX$27.77
11.18%
Eggs
$2.26 MYR 8.93
$2.54 MX$43.82
-11.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.46 MYR 41.33
$8.54 MX$148
22.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.39 MYR 13.39
$8.47 MX$146
-59.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.22 MYR 32.47
$10.86 MX$188
-24.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.63 MYR 10.40
$2.73 MX$47.13
-3.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 MYR 6.65
$1.49 MX$25.77
12.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 MYR 9.75
$1.94 MX$33.55
27.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 MYR 4.91
$2.16 MX$37.38
-42.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.14 MYR 4.50
$1.85 MX$31.88
-38.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 MYR 5.30
$2.19 MX$37.80
-38.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MYR 3.76
$1.07 MX$18.52
-11.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 MYR 2.45
$1.08 MX$18.71
-42.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.35 MYR 17.20
$4.06 MX$70.1
7.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.85 MYR 78.4
$10.46 MX$181
89.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 MYR 10.64
$1.65 MX$28.56
63.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.93 MYR 15.52
$2.55 MX$44.01
54.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 MYR 2.98
$0.56 MX$9.60
33.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.61 MYR 45.86
$26.20 MX$453
-55.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.98 MYR 3.89
$3.14 MX$54.2
-68.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 MYR 1.29
$2.37 MX$40.96
-86.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.45 MYR 37.35
$3.24 MX$56.0
191.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.47 MYR 1.85
$1.31 MX$22.70
-64.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.1K MYR 122.7K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
1.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K MYR 110.5K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
17.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.62 MYR 160
$83.1 MX$1,436
-51.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.08 MYR 35.87
$22.15 MX$383
-59.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.14 MYR 91.4
$29.37 MX$507
-21.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.14 MYR 147
$51.2 MX$884
-27.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.19 MYR 28.39
$18.69 MX$323
-61.53%
Cinema Ticket
$4.93 MYR 19.47
$4.89 MX$84.4
0.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MYR 833
$199 MX$3,431
6.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,152 MYR 32.2K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
56.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.59 MYR 196
$35.93 MX$621
38.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.85 MYR 138
$39.39 MX$680
-11.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$54.7 MYR 216
$80.3 MX$1,387
-31.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.12 MYR 194
$87.6 MX$1,512
-43.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 MYR 1,798
$963 MX$16.6K
-52.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$347 MYR 1,371
$482 MX$8,326
-28.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$828 MYR 3,271
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-49.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 MYR 2,118
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-55.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,238 MYR 12.8K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-18.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$217 MYR 856
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-96.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,792 MYR 7,079
$726 MX$12.5K
146.73%
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: 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

Petaling Jaya vs other spots: cost of living compared

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