Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Colombo

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 46.5% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 75.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 52.4% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 88.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$210
$3.98 LKR 1,235
197.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$746
$25.32 LKR 7,864
66.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$8.48 LKR 2,634
26.77%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.5
$2.73 LKR 847
27.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.72
$0.74 LKR 229
95.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.98
$0.37 LKR 115
143.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.1
$2.41 LKR 748
26.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.2
$3.31 LKR 1,028
33.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.24
$1.70 LKR 528
-19.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.14
$0.56 LKR 175
233.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.32
$0.83 LKR 257
85.54%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.31
$2.20 LKR 682
13.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$14.25 LKR 4,426
-39.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$153
$4.70 LKR 1,461
83.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$7.87 LKR 2,443
40.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.67
$7.49 LKR 2,327
-63.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.28
$1.11 LKR 345
28.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.15
$5.85 LKR 1,818
-68.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.37
$1.22 LKR 377
77.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.33
$1.10 LKR 341
70.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.76
$1.43 LKR 445
57.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.90
$1.14 LKR 355
-6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.00
$0.60 LKR 188
78.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.5
$10.23 LKR 3,177
-59.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$183
$12.67 LKR 3,935
-18.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.72
$2.09 LKR 649
-19.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.97
$2.94 LKR 913
-15.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.82
$0.19 LKR 59.3
189.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$470
$4.94 LKR 1,533
437.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.9
$0.41 LKR 128
685.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.93
$0.35 LKR 110
608.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.0
$0.57 LKR 177
445.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.22
$1.25 LKR 388
0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$542.7K
$26.6K LKR 8.3M
15.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$425.5K
$35.4K LKR 11.0M
-32.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,460
$59.5 LKR 18.5K
38.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$394
$4.46 LKR 1,385
399.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$531
$15.16 LKR 4,709
98.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$911
$14.28 LKR 4,434
260.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$324
$7.05 LKR 2,190
159.43%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.2
$3.38 LKR 1,049
47.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,540
$36.49 LKR 11.3K
448.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.9K
$444 LKR 138.0K
1093.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$632
$27.90 LKR 8,666
27.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$700
$19.17 LKR 5,955
106.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,426
$68.8 LKR 21.4K
17.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,563
$38.47 LKR 11.9K
129.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$372 LKR 115.6K
160.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,535
$177 LKR 54.9K
172.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$969 LKR 301.0K
64.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.0K
$360 LKR 111.8K
228.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.7K
$3,705 LKR 1.2M
9.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.4K
$1,248 LKR 387.7K
422.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Colombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$241 LKR 74.7K
214.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
16.45
-30.58%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Colombo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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