Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,130 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
Learn more

Cheras Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,130 in Cheras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cheras $1,130

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,541 in Cheras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cheras $1,541

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,952 in Cheras, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cheras $1,952

Playa del Carmen costs about 7% more than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Cheras are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Cheras 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.58 MYR 14.62

200.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$24.28 MYR 99.1

77.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.80 MYR 19.57

145.62%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.08 MYR 12.55

25.65%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.93 MYR 3.79

47.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.60 MYR 2.44

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-28.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.25 MYR 25.50

-18.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-25.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.02 MYR 4.18

118.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.44 MYR 5.89

2.08%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.77 MYR 7.23

42.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$17.85 MYR 72.8

-59.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.56 MYR 18.60

72.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.81 MYR 44.09

18.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.55 MYR 14.50

-18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-3.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.67 MYR 6.80

23.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.65 MYR 6.72

21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-13.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.51 MYR 2.07

147.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.24 MYR 17.30

3.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$13.88 MYR 56.6

-30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.77 MYR 11.30

-42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.15 MYR 12.83

-10.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-18.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$12.03 MYR 49.08

131.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.01 MYR 4.13

393.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.35 MYR 1.44

900.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$8.96 MYR 36.57

-39.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.88 MYR 3.58

67.05%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

-48.74%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-29.69%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$49.67 MYR 203

69.54%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$11.06 MYR 45.10

116.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$27.31 MYR 111

6.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$39.42 MYR 161

59.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$7.14 MYR 29.13

308.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$4.99 MYR 20.36

-1.00%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$164 MYR 667

24.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

-11.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$54.3 MYR 221

-19.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$29.39 MYR 120

46.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$81.5 MYR 332

-7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$98.6 MYR 402

-10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$409 MYR 1,669

146.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$467 MYR 1,906

-19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$687 MYR 2,803

148.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$485 MYR 1,977

128.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,052 MYR 8,372

92.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,103 MYR 4,501

459.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,189 MYR 4,851

-36.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.06

182.02%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cheras

$467 41.4% 24.9% $93

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cheras

$268 23.8% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cheras

$120 10.7% 40.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 35.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cheras

$119 10.5% 5% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cheras

$49 4.4% 32.2% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 66.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $409 in Cheras. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Cheras, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $24.00 in Cheras. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $268 in Cheras – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

16:18 4:18 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

440,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cheras 17,210 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,695 in Cheras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Playa del Carmen – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $24.00 in Cheras. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cheras, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Cheras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cheras – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cheras. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.