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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 43.3% more expensive than Dambulla without rent, and 138.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 73.1% more expensive than Dambulla without rent, and 151.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$3.97 LKR 1,235
198.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$25.55 LKR 7,940
65.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$8.13 LKR 2,526
32.23%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.65 LKR 824
30.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.73 LKR 228
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.38 LKR 117
136.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.29 LKR 713
33.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$3.30 LKR 1,025
33.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.69 LKR 525
-18.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.53 LKR 164
252.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.80 LKR 249
92.50%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.20 LKR 685
13.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$14.10 LKR 4,382
-38.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.79 LKR 1,489
80.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$7.97 LKR 2,476
38.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$7.43 LKR 2,308
-62.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.12 LKR 348
27.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$5.68 LKR 1,764
-67.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.25 LKR 389
73.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.12 LKR 348
67.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.40 LKR 436
60.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$1.16 LKR 359
-7.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.60 LKR 187
78.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$10.25 LKR 3,185
-59.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$12.67 LKR 3,937
-18.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$1.99 LKR 620
-15.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.98 LKR 928
-16.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.10 LKR 30.37
450.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.42 LKR 130
666.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.32 LKR 101
675.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$0.61 LKR 190
409.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.26 LKR 390
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$27.0K LKR 8.4M
13.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$35.0K LKR 10.9M
-31.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$59.3 LKR 18.4K
39.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$4.22 LKR 1,311
428.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$15.19 LKR 4,721
97.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$3.37 LKR 1,048
47.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$37.05 LKR 11.5K
439.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$438 LKR 136.0K
1112.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$27.29 LKR 8,481
30.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$19.29 LKR 5,994
105.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$69.9 LKR 21.7K
15.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$38.61 LKR 12.0K
128.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Dambulla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
-
-
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 Dambulla: March 3, 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

Similar cities