Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Johor Bahru Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Johor Bahru

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 39.5% more expensive than Johor Bahru without rent, and 30.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 54% more expensive than Johor Bahru without rent, and 69.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$211
$3.50 MYR 13.79
238.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$750
$19.14 MYR 75.4
120.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$191
$4.73 MYR 18.62
127.27%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.8
$3.02 MYR 11.90
14.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.85
$0.78 MYR 3.08
85.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.06
$0.48 MYR 1.90
87.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.3
$3.50 MYR 13.79
-12.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.6
$6.75 MYR 26.61
-34.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.36
$1.87 MYR 7.35
-26.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.31
$0.96 MYR 3.76
94.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.46
$1.30 MYR 5.12
18.46%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.53
$1.84 MYR 7.25
35.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$153
$10.48 MYR 41.31
-17.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$154
$3.41 MYR 13.42
153.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$196
$8.02 MYR 31.60
37.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.91
$2.78 MYR 10.97
-1.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.41
$1.52 MYR 6.00
-5.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.32
$2.47 MYR 9.74
-24.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.56
$1.24 MYR 4.90
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.50
$1.18 MYR 4.66
59.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.96
$1.40 MYR 5.51
60.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.99
$0.96 MYR 3.77
11.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.10
$0.51 MYR 2.02
109.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.9
$4.18 MYR 16.47
-0.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$184
$14.68 MYR 57.9
-29.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.87
$2.66 MYR 10.48
-36.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.19
$3.03 MYR 11.93
-18.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.87
$0.72 MYR 2.84
-23.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$472
$11.70 MYR 46.10
126.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.2
$0.98 MYR 3.87
228.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.15
$1.03 MYR 4.06
140.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.3
$9.31 MYR 36.68
-66.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.34
$0.46 MYR 1.80
173.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$545.4K
$35.5K MYR 140.0K
-13.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$427.6K
$28.3K MYR 111.4K
-15.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,467
$41.48 MYR 163
98.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$396
$9.13 MYR 35.98
144.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$534
$30.95 MYR 122
-3.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$915
$35.11 MYR 138
46.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$325
$6.05 MYR 23.84
202.31%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.7
$5.08 MYR 20.03
-1.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,558
$187 MYR 738
6.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.4K
$6,960 MYR 27.4K
-23.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$635
$49.99 MYR 197
-28.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$704
$19.17 MYR 75.6
106.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,433
$54.3 MYR 214
48.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,571
$39.45 MYR 155
123.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$468 MYR 1,844
107.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,579
$404 MYR 1,592
19.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.4K
$827 MYR 3,259
92.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.1K
$606 MYR 2,389
95.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.1K
$2,142 MYR 8,438
89.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.0K
$1,192 MYR 4,697
447.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Johor Bahru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$1,153 MYR 4,541
-34.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.07
180.59%

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 Johor Bahru: 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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