Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kandana

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $509 in Kandana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kandana $509

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $827 in Kandana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kandana $827

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,145 in Kandana, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kandana $1,145

Playa del Carmen costs about 136% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kandana are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kandana 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.76 LKR 1,252

183.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$25.18 LKR 8,377

73.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.45 LKR 2,477

58.26%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.43 LKR 808

55.97%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.72 LKR 238

80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.27 LKR 90.6

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.18 LKR 726

44.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.08 LKR 1,025

60.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 LKR 526

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.54 LKR 178

307.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.75 LKR 248

96.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.65 LKR 549

51.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.19 LKR 5,051

-52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.88 LKR 1,622

62.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.76 LKR 2,581

65.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-56.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.82 LKR 273

68.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.11 LKR 1,368

-39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.28 LKR 426

58.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.03 LKR 343

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.82 LKR 271

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.24 LKR 413

-8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.46 LKR 152

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.42 LKR 4,464

-26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.87 LKR 623

-14.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.97 LKR 988

-7.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.38 LKR 126

1152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.33 LKR 111

884.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.86 LKR 288

526.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.37 LKR 457

11.68%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-51.98%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-48.89%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

45.33%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.30 LKR 1,430

439.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.55 LKR 6,835

34.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.45 LKR 1,480

12.36%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

413.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-69.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$18.24 LKR 6,065

138.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.49 LKR 5,817

143.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

115.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.5

-8.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 48.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 38.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 36.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 86.6% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.9% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Kandana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $243 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

14:15 2:15 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kandana 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $764 in Kandana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $509 in Kandana. That makes Kandana about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Kandana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.