Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kota Bharu Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kota Bharu

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 38.2% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 94.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 70.1% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 93.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$211
$1.79 MYR 7.04
562.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$750
$20.94 MYR 82.5
101.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$191
$4.26 MYR 16.78
152.35%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.8
$2.29 MYR 9.03
51.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.85
$0.49 MYR 1.91
195.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.06
$0.27 MYR 1.07
233.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.3
$4.36 MYR 17.18
-30.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$78.6
$4.25 MYR 16.75
4.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.36
$1.50 MYR 5.91
-8.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.31
$0.75 MYR 2.96
149.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.46
$0.83 MYR 3.25
85.54%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.53
$1.47 MYR 5.81
70.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$153
$14.82 MYR 58.4
-41.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$154
$2.92 MYR 11.51
195.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$196
$5.96 MYR 23.49
84.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.91
$1.38 MYR 5.45
99.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.41
$1.38 MYR 5.43
3.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.32
$1.40 MYR 5.50
33.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.56
$0.85 MYR 3.34
155.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.50
$0.84 MYR 3.30
123.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.96
$1.21 MYR 4.77
85.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.99
$0.95 MYR 3.73
12.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.10
$0.43 MYR 1.70
148.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.9
$2.94 MYR 11.60
41.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$184
$19.73 MYR 77.7
-47.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.87
$1.42 MYR 5.61
18.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.19
$3.40 MYR 13.40
-27.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.87
$0.69 MYR 2.74
-20.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$472
$11.91 MYR 46.93
122.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.2
$0.72 MYR 2.84
347.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.15
$0.54 MYR 2.14
359.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.3
$3.59 MYR 14.15
-13.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.34
$0.46 MYR 1.82
173.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$545.4K
$30.5K MYR 120.1K
0.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$427.6K
$27.7K MYR 109.2K
-13.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,467
$38.69 MYR 152
113.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$396
$8.28 MYR 32.63
169.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$534
$26.70 MYR 105
12.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$915
$36.78 MYR 145
39.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$325
$6.06 MYR 23.89
201.82%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.7
$4.14 MYR 16.32
20.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,558
$118 MYR 464
69.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.4K
$6,225 MYR 24.5K
-14.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$635
$52.3 MYR 206
-31.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$704
$18.74 MYR 73.8
111.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,433
$60.6 MYR 239
33.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,571
$53.2 MYR 210
66.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.2K
$261 MYR 1,026
272.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,579
$140 MYR 553
243.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.4K
$852 MYR 3,358
87.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.1K
$481 MYR 1,894
146.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$305 MYR 1,202
147.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.16
174.52%

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 Kota Bharu: February 28, 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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