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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 4.3% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 47.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.7% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 64.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$200

$3.52 MYR 13.92

229.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$738

$19.10 MYR 75.5

123.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$4.79 MYR 18.93

121.29%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.67 MYR 10.53

34.46%

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

$1.45 MX$25.08

$0.68 MYR 2.69

113.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.50

$0.39 MYR 1.56

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$2.33 MYR 9.22

30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$3.47 MYR 13.72

31.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.07

$1.68 MYR 6.63

-13.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.55

$1.25 MYR 4.94

46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.68 MYR 6.62

-4.17%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.82

$2.91 MYR 11.50

-12.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$25.95 MYR 102

-67.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$3.64 MYR 14.36

132.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$7.09 MYR 28.01

53.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.13

$2.66 MYR 10.52

2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.77

$1.13 MYR 4.47

31.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.55

$3.24 MYR 12.82

-40.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.38

$1.97 MYR 7.78

9.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.88

$1.52 MYR 5.99

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$1.71 MYR 6.74

28.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.52

$1.13 MYR 4.45

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.71

$0.47 MYR 1.85

129.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.1

$4.02 MYR 15.88

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$27.13 MYR 107

-61.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.56

$1.91 MYR 7.55

-13.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.01

$1.63 MYR 6.44

56.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

$1.51 MYR 5.97

-62.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

$40.65 MYR 161

-35.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.2

$1.87 MYR 7.37

67.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$40.96

$0.44 MYR 1.72

438.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$6.00 MYR 23.69

-46.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.70

$0.46 MYR 1.83

184.78%

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

$30.5K MX$527.4K

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

3.06%

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

$23.8K MX$411.4K

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

-15.09%

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

$83.1 MX$1,436

$51.2 MYR 202

62.48%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$9.14 MYR 36.11

142.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$507

$32.66 MYR 129

-10.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

$43.05 MYR 170

18.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

$2.87 MYR 11.33

551.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.4

$4.76 MYR 18.80

2.73%

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

$199 MX$3,431

$133 MYR 524

49.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$89.9K

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

17.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

$59.0 MYR 233

-39.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$680

$22.78 MYR 90.0

72.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,387

$71.1 MYR 281

12.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,512

$94.6 MYR 374

-7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

$378 MYR 1,492

154.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

$162 MYR 641

197.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

$645 MYR 2,548

154.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

$369 MYR 1,456

223.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

$1,893 MYR 7,478

109.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

$1,130 MYR 4,463

476.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

$612 MYR 2,417

18.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

3.8

200.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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