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 94.9% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 95.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 63.9% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 96.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$1.82 MYR 7.66
558.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$21.31 MYR 89.9
99.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.21 MYR 17.76
148.69%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.32 MYR 9.79
55.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.45 MYR 1.9
220.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.27 MYR 1.15
229.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$4.27 MYR 18.02
-27.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.17 MYR 17.58
9.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.57 MYR 6.62
-12.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.76 MYR 3.19
143.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$0.83 MYR 3.51
89.16%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.55 MYR 6.55
64.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$15.17 MYR 64
-43.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$2.95 MYR 12.43
189.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$6.19 MYR 26.11
77.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$1.4 MYR 5.88
94.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.43 MYR 6.04
5.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.38 MYR 5.8
36.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$0.9 MYR 3.8
143.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$0.83 MYR 3.5
125.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.16 MYR 4.89
88.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.92 MYR 3.86
16.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.4 MYR 1.71
172.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$3.07 MYR 12.97
28.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$14.59 MYR 61.5
-39.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.4 MYR 5.9
22.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.43 MYR 14.45
-23.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.74 MYR 3.12
-29.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$11.63 MYR 49.04
128.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.69 MYR 2.91
369.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.54 MYR 2.26
340.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$3.64 MYR 15.35
-14.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.5 MYR 2.11
162.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$31K MYR 130.6K
-2.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$27.2K MYR 114.8K
-11.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$38.1 MYR 161
121.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$8.15 MYR 34.38
171.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$26.59 MYR 112
13.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$36.56 MYR 154
42.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$5.77 MYR 24.33
224.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$4.26 MYR 17.98
19.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$116 MYR 489
72.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,301 MYR 26.6K
-15.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$53.4 MYR 225
-33.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$18.9 MYR 79.7
110.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$61.7 MYR 260
27.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$51.8 MYR 219
70.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$264 MYR 1,114
265.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$141 MYR 595
236.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$845 MYR 3,565
95.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$478 MYR 2,015
151.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,767 MYR 7,450
74.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,061 MYR 4,474
609.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kota Bharu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$325 MYR 1,371
143.62%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 28, 2025

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