Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
Learn more

Bentota Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bentota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $777 in Bentota.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bentota $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $896 in Bentota.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,014 in Bentota.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bentota $1,014

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 55% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bentota 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.78 LKR 1,257

182.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$12.00 LKR 3,992

265.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.36 LKR 2,447

60.19%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.47 LKR 822

53.44%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.71 LKR 236

83.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.25 LKR 83.1

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.19 LKR 728

43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.10 LKR 1,031

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.57 LKR 523

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.52 LKR 174

323.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.80 LKR 267

83.75%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.65 LKR 549

51.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.18 LKR 5,049

-51.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.36 LKR 1,119

136.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$4.47 LKR 1,488

187.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.76 LKR 2,247

-57.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.76 LKR 254

81.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.08 LKR 1,356

-38.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$0.86 LKR 287

136.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.07 LKR 357

88.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.82 LKR 274

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.21 LKR 402

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.42 LKR 139

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.06 LKR 3,347

-57.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.69 LKR 4,554

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.90 LKR 631

-16.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.87 LKR 956

-4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.19 LKR 62.4

168.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.38 LKR 126

1152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.29 LKR 96.3

1020.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.93 LKR 308

479.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.39 LKR 461

10.07%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

-51.84%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

-48.29%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

45.58%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$2.32 LKR 770

899.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$8.88 LKR 2,952

210.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.59 LKR 1,526

8.93%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

409.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

-69.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$18.34 LKR 6,102

136.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.33 LKR 5,763

145.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

112.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$546 LKR 181.7K

82.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$302 LKR 100.4K

26.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.5

-8.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bentota

$302 38.8% 21.1% $81

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bentota

$223 28.7% 13.4% $35

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bentota

$103 13.2% 48.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bentota

$69 8.8% 49% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bentota

$70 9% 37.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2% 86.2% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3% 94.9% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $546 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $12 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $223 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

37,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bentota 16,690 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,166 in Bentota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $546 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $777 in Bentota – Bentota is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.