Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuala Lumpur

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 31% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 17.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 3.5% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 43.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$4.58 MYR 19.31
161.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$28.83 MYR 122
47.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.77 MYR 20.13
119.50%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.96 MYR 12.48
21.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.85 MYR 3.58
69.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.5 MYR 2.11
78.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$4.23 MYR 17.82
-26.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$5.95 MYR 25.11
-23.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$2.08 MYR 8.78
-33.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1 MYR 4.22
85.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.64 MYR 6.92
-4.27%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.29 MYR 9.64
11.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$14.84 MYR 62.6
-41.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.52 MYR 19.05
88.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$9.51 MYR 40.1
15.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.95 MYR 12.46
-7.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.62 MYR 6.85
-6.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.7 MYR 11.37
-30.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.51 MYR 6.38
45.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.21 MYR 5.11
54.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.4 MYR 5.92
56.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.21 MYR 5.09
-11.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.68 MYR 2.87
60.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.19 MYR 17.68
-5.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$18.11 MYR 76.4
-51.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$3.33 MYR 14.06
-48.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$4.39 MYR 18.5
-40.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.72 MYR 3.06
-27.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$11.74 MYR 49.49
126.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.21 MYR 5.11
167.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.13 MYR 4.78
110.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$4.59 MYR 19.35
-32.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.48 MYR 2.01
172.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$40K MYR 168.8K
-24.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$33K MYR 139.2K
-27.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$64.8 MYR 273
30.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$11.7 MYR 49.34
89.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$25.5 MYR 108
18.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$45.93 MYR 194
13.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$7.76 MYR 32.73
141.24%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.23 MYR 22.03
-3.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$266 MYR 1,122
-24.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$9,267 MYR 39.1K
-42.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$61.5 MYR 259
-41.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$38.04 MYR 160
4.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$86.3 MYR 364
-8.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$79.6 MYR 336
11.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$578 MYR 2,437
67.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$371 MYR 1,566
27.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,061 MYR 4,472
55.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$628 MYR 2,649
91.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$3,071 MYR 12.9K
0.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,532 MYR 6,459
391.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kuala Lumpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,342 MYR 5,659
-40.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.47
155.48%

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 Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

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