Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and George Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and George Town

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 53.3% more expensive than George Town without rent, and 51.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 41.3% more expensive than George Town without rent, and 67.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$3.10 MYR 12.23
282.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$21.04 MYR 83.1
100.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$4.15 MYR 16.39
159.04%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.47 MYR 9.77
40.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.73 MYR 2.88
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.34 MYR 1.34
164.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$4.17 MYR 16.47
-26.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$4.69 MYR 18.52
-5.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.89 MYR 7.48
-27.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$1.13 MYR 4.47
65.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$1.67 MYR 6.59
-7.78%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.03 MYR 8.01
23.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$17.53 MYR 69.3
-50.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.99 MYR 19.69
72.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$10.76 MYR 42.50
2.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.78 MYR 10.97
-1.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$1.43 MYR 5.63
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$2.14 MYR 8.47
-12.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.21 MYR 4.77
79.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.83 MYR 3.28
126.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.15 MYR 4.56
95.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.73 MYR 2.90
46.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.52 MYR 2.04
105.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$4.14 MYR 16.37
0.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$12.93 MYR 51.1
-20.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.60 MYR 10.29
-35.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$3.51 MYR 13.85
-29.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.46 MYR 1.80
19.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$11.93 MYR 47.14
122.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$1.15 MYR 4.56
180.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.47 MYR 1.85
427.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$6.52 MYR 25.74
-52.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$0.50 MYR 1.97
152.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$33.1K MYR 130.8K
-7.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$25.3K MYR 99.9K
-4.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$39.38 MYR 156
109.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$9.59 MYR 37.86
132.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$29.28 MYR 116
2.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$38.62 MYR 153
33.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$3.86 MYR 15.25
373.83%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$3.98 MYR 15.71
25.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$147 MYR 579
36.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$4,602 MYR 18.2K
15.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$52.4 MYR 207
-31.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$28.97 MYR 114
36.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$60.2 MYR 238
33.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$53.0 MYR 209
66.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
George Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$360 MYR 1,423
169.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$258 MYR 1,020
86.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$715 MYR 2,824
123.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$499 MYR 1,971
137.19%
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
George Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$1,216 MYR 4,803
-37.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.16
174.52%

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 George Town: 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

Similar cities