Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 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 Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kataragama $1,140

Playa del Carmen costs about 137% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.87 LKR 1,286

175.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$24.70 LKR 8,214

77.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.34 LKR 2,440

60.63%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.43 LKR 807

55.97%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.67 LKR 224

94.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.27 LKR 90.8

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.23 LKR 742

41.26%

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

$1.57 LKR 522

-10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.56 LKR 187

292.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.76 LKR 253

93.42%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.63 LKR 544

53.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.08 LKR 5,015

-51.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.89 LKR 1,627

62.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.66 LKR 2,547

67.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.54 LKR 2,174

-55.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.83 LKR 276

66.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.08 LKR 1,358

-38.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.31 LKR 437

54.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.08 LKR 360

87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.83 LKR 276

128.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.24 LKR 414

-8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.45 LKR 150

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.29 LKR 3,422

-58.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.61 LKR 4,527

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.96 LKR 652

-18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.94 LKR 978

-6.46%

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

$0.40 LKR 134

1090.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.31 LKR 103

948.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.86 LKR 285

526.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.34 LKR 445

14.18%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

-51.30%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-49.03%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

46.89%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.15 LKR 1,380

458.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.61 LKR 6,857

33.96%

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

$4.50 LKR 1,495

11.11%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

421.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

-69.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$18.27 LKR 6,076

137.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.51 LKR 5,825

142.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

111.49%

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 Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kataragama

$242 47.7% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kataragama

$103 20.3% 48.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kataragama

$82 16.1% 39.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kataragama

$70 13.8% 37.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 86.5% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kataragama

$2 * 0.4% 96.1% $49

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 Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

14:14 2:14 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kataragama 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 137% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $762 in Kataragama. 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 $508 in Kataragama. That makes Kataragama about 58% cheaper.

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

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Kataragama 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 $508 in Kataragama to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.