Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
Learn more

Butterworth Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Butterworth $1,902

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Butterworth 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.72 MYR 15.16

193.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$19.36 MYR 78.8

124.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.77 MYR 19.43

146.96%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$2.89 MYR 11.76

31.83%

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

$1.28 MX$24.03

$0.73 MYR 2.96

75.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.67

$0.36 MYR 1.48

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.3

$4.12 MYR 16.78

-23.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$4.38 MYR 17.82

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.12 MYR 8.61

-33.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.54

$1.10 MYR 4.48

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.56

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.27

$2.24 MYR 9.13

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$13.69 MYR 55.7

-46.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.49 MYR 18.26

71.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.64 MYR 35.18

46.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$3.06 MYR 12.47

-9.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.64

$1.71 MYR 6.95

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.80

$2.23 MYR 9.07

14.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.78

$1.47 MYR 5.98

44.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.32

$1.06 MYR 4.33

83.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.34

$1.09 MYR 4.42

73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.49

$1.09 MYR 4.43

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.09

$0.58 MYR 2.38

103.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$4.36 MYR 17.76

-1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$19.00 MYR 77.3

-47.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.67

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-46.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$4.98 MYR 20.27

-46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$10.85 MYR 44.18

145.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.1

$1.19 MYR 4.83

317.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.4

$0.38 MYR 1.53

776.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$4.85 MYR 19.72

10.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.06

$0.89 MYR 3.61

61.80%

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

$20.7K MX$387.3K

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

-52.47%

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

$23.5K MX$439.7K

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

-33.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,589

$36.81 MYR 150

130.35%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$8.61 MYR 35.03

171.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$26.45 MYR 108

8.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,069

$32.93 MYR 134

73.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$5.90 MYR 24.00

390.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.3

$4.79 MYR 19.52

7.31%

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

$207 MX$3,871

$240 MYR 977

-13.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

-63.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$812

$59.8 MYR 243

-27.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$35.01 MYR 143

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,390

$82.5 MYR 336

-10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,672

$69.5 MYR 283

28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$412 MYR 1,678

137.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,136

$300 MYR 1,223

26.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$813 MYR 3,309

110.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$563 MYR 2,292

90.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$1,966 MYR 8,002

100.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.4K

$1,205 MYR 4,905

410.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.04

183.42%

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 Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 21.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 1.4% $3.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 44.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 47.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 36.9% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 66.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Butterworth. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $258 in Butterworth – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

20:58 8:58 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

339,132

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Butterworth 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $913 in Butterworth – Butterworth comes out roughly 24% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $19 in Butterworth. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Butterworth to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.