Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kuala Belait $1,726

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,561 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kuala Belait $2,561

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,397 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kuala Belait $3,397

Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Kuala Belait is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.77 BND 9.92

40.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$47.28 BND 60.4

-8.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$7.74 BND 9.88

52.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 BND 2.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.46 BND 5.70

-14.57%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.88 BND 1.13

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.50 BND 0.64

56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.82 BND 2.32

-22.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.51 BND 3.21

-11.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$2.30 BND 2.94

-38.26%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.70 BND 3.45

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$19.08 BND 24.37

-61.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$9.44 BND 12.06

-18.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$24.33 BND 31.09

-47.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.83 BND 6.17

-42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.17 BND 2.77

-36.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$5.01 BND 6.40

-49.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$2.49 BND 3.18

-14.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.73 BND 2.21

12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.91 BND 3.71

-35.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$5.51 BND 7.04

-79.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.86 BND 1.10

37.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.81 BND 15.08

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.91 BND 7.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$7.89 BND 10.07

-45.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$4.01 BND 5.12

23.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.27 BND 4.18

1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$11.49 BND 14.67

-53.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.35 BND 0.45

311.43%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$31.8K BND 40.7K

-35.06%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$26.9K BND 34.3K

-12.68%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$39.60 BND 50.6

114.12%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$21.64 BND 27.64

8.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$65.2 BND 83.2

-56.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$99.3 BND 127

-42.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$27.87 BND 35.60

3.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.49 BND 7.01

-6.38%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$217 BND 278

-4.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$9,343 BND 11.9K

-57.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$76.2 BND 97.4

-43.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$101 BND 129

-58.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$155 BND 198

-52.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$71.1 BND 90.8

25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$730 BND 933

34.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$789 BND 1,008

-51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,167 BND 1,491

46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,169 BND 1,493

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,379 BND 4,317

-78.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.88

195.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kuala Belait

$789 45.7% 107% $408

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.5% 38.8% $99

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kuala Belait

$144 8.4% 28.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 7.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kuala Belait

$181 10.5% 62.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 63.9% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kuala Belait

$20 * 1.2% 59.6% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Belait are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $47 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $354 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

31,178

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kuala Belait 16,370 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,726 in Kuala Belait – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,589 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,726 in Kuala Belait. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kuala Belait at $1,726. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,726 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.