Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Amparai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $502 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
Learn more

Amparai Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Amparai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Amparai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $502 in Amparai.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Amparai $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Amparai.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Amparai $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,126 in Amparai.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Amparai $1,126

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 140% more expensive than in Amparai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Amparai 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.79 LKR 1,261

188.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$24.61 LKR 8,183

76.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.42 LKR 2,467

58.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.48 LKR 824

53.63%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.67 LKR 221

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.27 LKR 90.4

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.25 LKR 749

40.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.94 LKR 978

67.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.64 LKR 544

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.53 LKR 176

318.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.81 LKR 269

75.31%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.72 LKR 573

46.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.94 LKR 4,636

-47.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.01 LKR 1,666

53.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.61 LKR 2,529

66.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$6.65 LKR 2,210

-58.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.86 LKR 287

59.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$4.30 LKR 1,429

-40.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.27 LKR 422

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.05 LKR 349

84.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.83 LKR 276

127.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.94 LKR 314

22.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.42 LKR 139

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$10.34 LKR 3,439

-58.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.93 LKR 4,298

-23.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.96 LKR 653

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.93 LKR 973

-8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.37 LKR 125

1243.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.37 LKR 124

800.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$0.94 LKR 313

470.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.34 LKR 447

7.46%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$44.5K LKR 14.8M

-53.52%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-43.03%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$59.7 LKR 19.8K

42.10%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$4.23 LKR 1,407

453.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.72 LKR 6,887

38.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$1.84 LKR 610

179.35%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

457.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,226 LKR 407.8K

220.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$18.05 LKR 6,002

140.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$16.88 LKR 5,611

145.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

-4.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$42.12 LKR 14.0K

111.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

699.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.69

-9.77%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Amparai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Amparai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Amparai

$239 47.5% 6.4% $16

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Amparai

$103 20.6% 49% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Amparai

$85 16.9% 38.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Amparai

$70 13.9% 37.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Amparai

$3.7 * 0.7% 94.5% $64

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Amparai

$2.2 * 0.5% 95.6% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $25 in Amparai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $239 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Amparai

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

05:18 5:18 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Amparai 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Amparai

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

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

Amparai is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Amparai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Amparai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai 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 – Amparai 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.