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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 73.7% more expensive than Kandy without rent, and 133.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 116.4% more expensive than Kandy without rent, and 165% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$2.74 LKR 852
332.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$11.56 LKR 3,591
264.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$6.55 LKR 2,036
64.12%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$2.69 LKR 837
29.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.60 LKR 187
141.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.32 LKR 99.9
181.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$2.12 LKR 659
43.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$3.44 LKR 1,068
28.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$1.39 LKR 433
-1.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.56 LKR 175
233.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.85 LKR 265
81.18%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$2.10 LKR 654
19.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$8.86 LKR 2,754
-2.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$4.78 LKR 1,485
80.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$8.26 LKR 2,567
33.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$4.49 LKR 1,394
-38.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.98 LKR 306
45.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$3.73 LKR 1,160
-49.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$1.26 LKR 393
72.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$1.10 LKR 342
70.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$1.26 LKR 391
78.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.78 LKR 242
37.18%
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
$9.15 LKR 2,842
-54.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$12.33 LKR 3,832
-16.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$2.01 LKR 624
-16.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$2.81 LKR 873
-11.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.17 LKR 53.0
223.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$14.81 LKR 4,601
79.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$0.42 LKR 130
666.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.35 LKR 110
608.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$0.44 LKR 136
606.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$1.21 LKR 377
4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$17.7K LKR 5.5M
73.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$21.0K LKR 6.5M
14.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$40.14 LKR 12.5K
105.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$4.23 LKR 1,316
426.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$15.38 LKR 4,781
95.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$15.11 LKR 4,695
240.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$5.60 LKR 1,740
226.61%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$3.32 LKR 1,033
50.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$37.55 LKR 11.7K
432.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$327 LKR 101.7K
1519.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$27.16 LKR 8,439
31.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$14.47 LKR 4,496
173.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$58.0 LKR 18.0K
38.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$29.05 LKR 9,027
204.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$133 LKR 41.4K
627.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$82.5 LKR 25.6K
484.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$214 LKR 66.5K
645.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$164 LKR 51.0K
620.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
$438 LKR 136.2K
824.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
$435 LKR 135.3K
1397.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kandy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$267 LKR 82.9K
183.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
15
-23.87%

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 Kandy: 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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