Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $852 in Bintulu.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 41% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$4.02 MYR 16.39

165.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$18.75 MYR 76.4

133.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$5.74 MYR 23.38

105.40%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.89 MYR 11.80

31.14%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.68 MYR 2.78

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.38 MYR 1.53

118.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.99 MYR 12.17

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$5.19 MYR 21.16

-5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.10 MYR 8.57

-32.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.43 MYR 5.82

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.32 MYR 5.39

11.36%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.21 MYR 8.99

13.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$17.39 MYR 70.9

-58.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.59 MYR 14.63

121.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$5.95 MYR 24.24

116.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$1.76 MYR 7.17

64.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.00 MYR 4.06

38.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.71 MYR 6.96

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.12 MYR 4.58

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$0.55 MYR 2.24

267.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.19 MYR 4.87

59.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.75 MYR 3.06

52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.45 MYR 1.82

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.11 MYR 16.75

3.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-49.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.00 MYR 8.15

37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$1.26 MYR 5.14

-59.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$16.05 MYR 65.4

70.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.95 MYR 3.89

401.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.82 MYR 3.33

296.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$2.51 MYR 10.21

114.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.66 MYR 2.71

131.82%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

-52.64%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

-41.62%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$59.5 MYR 242

40.34%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$31.54 MYR 129

-26.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$30.82 MYR 126

-10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$68.5 MYR 279

-17.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$12.11 MYR 49.34

132.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$4.51 MYR 18.38

10.86%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$125 MYR 509

65.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

-30.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$65.4 MYR 267

-33.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$35.43 MYR 144

20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$78.3 MYR 319

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$92.1 MYR 375

-4.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$224 MYR 912

344.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$156 MYR 636

145.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$474 MYR 1,933

252.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$335 MYR 1,366

222.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,775 MYR 7,235

120.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,172 MYR 4,776

423.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$613 MYR 2,498

35.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.5

154.44%

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 Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 59.2% $226

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 8.7% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 43.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 9.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 48.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

16:37 4:37 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

240,172

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bintulu 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 41% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.