Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuala Lipis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lipis: $897 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $897 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kuala Lipis $897

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,420 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kuala Lipis $1,420

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,944 in Kuala Lipis, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kuala Lipis $1,944

Playa del Carmen costs about 34% more than Kuala Lipis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kuala Lipis are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kuala Lipis 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.59 MYR 14.60

204.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$24.70 MYR 100

75.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.98 MYR 20.28

136.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$2.99 MYR 12.18

27.42%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.85 MYR 3.48

50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.42 MYR 1.70

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$3.21 MYR 13.04

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$5.63 MYR 22.90

-12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.08 MYR 4.37

105.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.47 MYR 5.99

-3.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.78 MYR 7.22

41.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$9.81 MYR 39.93

-25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.17 MYR 12.90

142.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$9.58 MYR 38.95

32.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$3.59 MYR 14.62

-22.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.85 MYR 7.53

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.83 MYR 7.45

15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$2.16 MYR 8.78

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$2.05 MYR 8.34

-7.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$1.49 MYR 6.05

-22.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.52 MYR 2.11

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$4.46 MYR 18.14

-3.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$19.69 MYR 80.1

-49.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$2.71 MYR 11.03

-41.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$4.44 MYR 18.05

-39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.66 MYR 2.67

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$13.50 MYR 54.9

97.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.20 MYR 4.90

314.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.36 MYR 1.46

825.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$8.79 MYR 35.75

-39.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.81 MYR 3.28

77.78%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$44.9K MYR 182.8K

-54.01%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-32.66%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$49.77 MYR 202

70.36%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$8.30 MYR 33.76

182.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$27.35 MYR 111

4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$40.93 MYR 167

39.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$7.48 MYR 30.41

286.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$4.88 MYR 19.85

5.33%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$276 MYR 1,123

-25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$10.3K MYR 41.9K

-61.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$51.6 MYR 210

-15.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$29.76 MYR 121

39.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$77.7 MYR 316

-4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$86.8 MYR 353

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$385 MYR 1,568

154.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$268 MYR 1,090

42.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$693 MYR 2,820

146.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$558 MYR 2,269

92.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$2,178 MYR 8,858

81.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,305 MYR 5,307

372.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.51

153.88%

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 Lipis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kuala Lipis

$268 29.9% 29.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kuala Lipis

$251 28% 1.5% $3.7

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kuala Lipis

$112 12.5% 44.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kuala Lipis

$85 9.5% 37.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kuala Lipis

$111 12.3% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kuala Lipis

$51 5.7% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kuala Lipis

$19 2.1% 62.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $385 in Kuala Lipis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Kuala Lipis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $251 – making Kuala Lipis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

11:15 11:15 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kuala Lipis 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lipis

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 Lipis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,345 in Kuala Lipis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Lipis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $385 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $897 in Kuala Lipis. That makes Kuala Lipis about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $276 in Kuala Lipis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lipis, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kuala Lipis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen 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 $897 in Kuala Lipis to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.