Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $513 in Kandy.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $728 in Kandy.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $943 in Kandy.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kandy $943

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 135% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kandy 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.66 LKR 885

310.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.01 LKR 4,324

233.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.00 LKR 1,996

96.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.90 LKR 632

100.53%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.52 LKR 174

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.26 LKR 87.1

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.86 LKR 620

70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.80 LKR 931

76.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.15 LKR 382

22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.52 LKR 174

326.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.77 LKR 255

84.42%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.71 LKR 568

47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$5.14 LKR 1,708

41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.25 LKR 1,412

81.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.87 LKR 2,285

84.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-11.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.84 LKR 280

63.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.73 LKR 574

47.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.29 LKR 429

64.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.02 LKR 339

90.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$0.83 LKR 277

127.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.43 LKR 144

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.42 LKR 140

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-46.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.28 LKR 3,751

-11.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.93 LKR 643

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.08 LKR 691

28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.16 LKR 53.3

243.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$4.38 LKR 1,457

507.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.41 LKR 136

1112.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.35 LKR 116

851.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$0.47 LKR 156

1040.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.15 LKR 383

25.22%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

47.87%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-36.14%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

43.69%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$3.86 LKR 1,282

506.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$12.72 LKR 4,227

125.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$10.85 LKR 3,606

425.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$6.80 LKR 2,262

325.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.74 LKR 909

87.59%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$21.65 LKR 7,199

854.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$304 LKR 101.0K

1193.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$18.28 LKR 6,078

137.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$10.15 LKR 3,375

308.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$26.56 LKR 8,831

236.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$172 LKR 57.2K

469.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$113 LKR 37.5K

237.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$172 LKR 57.2K

892.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

1048.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$397 LKR 131.9K

893.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$400 LKR 133.0K

1438.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$262 LKR 86.9K

180.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-4.58%

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 Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kandy

$113 22% 70.4% $268

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 34.9% $89

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 60.4% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 44.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 50.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 75.8% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 85.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

125,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kandy 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $513 in Kandy – Kandy is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 84% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.