Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $601 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
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Kegalle Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $601 in Kegalle.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kegalle $601

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $876 in Kegalle.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kegalle $876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,151 in Kegalle.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kegalle $1,151

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 100% more expensive than in Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kegalle 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.10 LKR 1,031

244.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$24.26 LKR 8,070

80.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.32 LKR 2,436

61.07%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.55 LKR 848

48.63%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.47 LKR 156

176.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.25 LKR 82.4

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.14 LKR 713

47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.09 LKR 1,029

59.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.65 LKR 548

-14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.47 LKR 155

368.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.68 LKR 227

116.18%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.67 LKR 555

49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.22 LKR 5,064

-52.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.88 LKR 1,622

62.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.73 LKR 2,572

66.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.06 LKR 2,014

-52.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.88 LKR 294

56.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.17 LKR 1,386

-40.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.21 LKR 403

67.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.92 LKR 305

119.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.82 LKR 274

131.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.38 LKR 125

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.42 LKR 140

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$9.81 LKR 3,264

-56.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.80 LKR 4,592

-28.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.97 LKR 654

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.68 LKR 892

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.59 LKR 195

-13.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$7.33 LKR 2,440

273.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.35 LKR 115

1260.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.31 LKR 103

948.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.92 LKR 307

485.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.38 LKR 458

10.87%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

-50.95%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$35.4K LKR 11.8M

-34.33%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$57.2 LKR 19.0K

45.99%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.32 LKR 1,438

436.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.06 LKR 7,005

31.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$19.40 LKR 6,453

190.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$14.94 LKR 4,968

88.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.57 LKR 1,522

9.41%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$40.04 LKR 13.3K

417.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-69.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$17.76 LKR 5,909

144.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$15.22 LKR 5,063

179.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

63.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.55 LKR 13.8K

112.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$122 LKR 40.7K

713.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$91.5 LKR 30.4K

318.15%

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

$178 LKR 59.1K

368.52%

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 Kegalle: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kegalle

$91 15.2% 76.1% $291

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kegalle

$236 39.3% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kegalle

$97 16.2% 51.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kegalle

$83 13.8% 38.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kegalle

$54 8.9% 51.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kegalle

$29 4.8% 57% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kegalle

$12 1.9% 77.1% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $122 in Kegalle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $24 in Kegalle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $236 per month, with Kegalle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,900

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kegalle

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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kegalle wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kegalle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.7 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $122 in Kegalle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kegalle – a meal for two runs $24 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $601 in Kegalle – Kegalle is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $601 in Kegalle versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Kegalle but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kegalle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Kegalle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.