Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $511 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 Katunayaka
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Katunayaka Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $511 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Katunayaka $511

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $831 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Katunayaka $831

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,150 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Katunayaka $1,150

Playa del Carmen costs about 135% more than Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.90 LKR 1,297

173.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$25.05 LKR 8,331

74.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.69 LKR 2,558

53.32%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.55 LKR 847

48.63%

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 89.9

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.17 LKR 723

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.06 LKR 1,016

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.62 LKR 540

-12.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.53 LKR 178

315.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.79 LKR 264

86.08%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.63 LKR 543

53.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.37 LKR 5,111

-52.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$5.06 LKR 1,684

57.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.57 LKR 2,519

69.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.46 LKR 2,149

-55.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.89 LKR 297

55.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$4.28 LKR 1,424

-41.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.29 LKR 428

57.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.04 LKR 346

94.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.81 LKR 270

134.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.21 LKR 401

-5.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.45 LKR 151

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.08 LKR 3,352

-57.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.40 LKR 4,456

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.87 LKR 621

-14.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.83 LKR 941

-2.83%

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

$0.31 LKR 103

948.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.94 LKR 311

473.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.32 LKR 439

15.91%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$44.3K LKR 14.7M

-52.15%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$44.9K LKR 14.9M

-48.14%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$55.9 LKR 18.6K

49.30%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.22 LKR 1,405

449.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.66 LKR 6,870

33.64%

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

$4.52 LKR 1,504

10.62%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$40.29 LKR 13.4K

413.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-69.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$18.02 LKR 5,993

141.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.52 LKR 5,829

142.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$78.9 LKR 26.3K

-7.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.78 LKR 13.9K

111.54%

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 Katunayaka: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Katunayaka

$243 47.6% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Katunayaka

$106 20.7% 47.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Katunayaka

$81 15.8% 39.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Katunayaka

$70 13.8% 36.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Katunayaka

$9 * 1.8% 86.4% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Katunayaka

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.2% $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 Katunayaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $243 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

01:41 1:41 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

84,643

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Katunayaka 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 135%, 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 $767 in Katunayaka. 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 $511 in Katunayaka. That makes Katunayaka about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Katunayaka. 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 Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Katunayaka 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 $511 in Katunayaka to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.