Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $925 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kajang, Selangor

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $925 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kajang, Selangor $925

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,410 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kajang, Selangor $1,410

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,895 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kajang, Selangor $1,895

Playa del Carmen costs about 30% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kajang, Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kajang, Selangor 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.77 MYR 15.28

189.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$18.15 MYR 73.6

138.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.83 MYR 19.59

143.89%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.86 MYR 11.58

33.22%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.79 MYR 3.18

62.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.46 MYR 1.84

69.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.48 MYR 18.16

-29.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.17 MYR 25.00

-20.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.07 MYR 4.33

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.50 MYR 6.09

-5.33%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.65 MYR 6.70

52.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$18.37 MYR 74.5

-60.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.45 MYR 18.04

73.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.06 MYR 40.77

26.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.43 MYR 13.90

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.69 MYR 6.83

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.31 MYR 9.37

10.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.51 MYR 6.13

40.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.23 MYR 4.98

57.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.68 MYR 6.81

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.17 MYR 4.75

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.55 MYR 2.23

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.29 MYR 17.41

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.03 MYR 56.9

-29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.99 MYR 12.13

-47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.01 MYR 12.22

-11.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.75 MYR 3.04

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.39 MYR 50.2

114.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.25 MYR 5.07

297.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.75 MYR 3.05

344.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.01 MYR 20.33

6.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.81 MYR 3.29

77.78%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$43.4K MYR 176.1K

-52.43%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$35.4K MYR 143.7K

-33.78%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$53.0 MYR 215

60.10%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$9.61 MYR 38.96

143.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$25.69 MYR 104

11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$42.05 MYR 170

35.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$7.38 MYR 29.90

291.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.91 MYR 19.90

4.68%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$234 MYR 950

-11.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

-11.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$53.7 MYR 218

-19.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$16.39 MYR 66.4

152.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$81.4 MYR 330

-8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$98.0 MYR 397

-8.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$358 MYR 1,453

173.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$274 MYR 1,111

38.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$727 MYR 2,949

134.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$491 MYR 1,991

118.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,045 MYR 8,291

92.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,056 MYR 4,282

482.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Kajang, Selangor: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6% 28% $107

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28% 1.7% $4.4

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8% 41.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6% 35.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6% 23% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2% 59.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $358 in Kajang, Selangor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Kajang, Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in Kajang, Selangor – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

15:11 3:11 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,047,356

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kajang, Selangor 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $925 in Kajang, Selangor – Kajang, Selangor comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,387 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $18 in Kajang, Selangor. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Kajang, Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kajang, Selangor, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kajang, Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Kajang, Selangor to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.