Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuantan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuantan: $820 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Kuantan
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Kuantan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Kuantan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kuantan

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $820 in Kuantan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Kuantan $820

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,248 in Kuantan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kuantan $1,248

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,676 in Kuantan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Kuantan $1,676

Playa del Carmen costs about 47% more than Kuantan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kuantan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kuantan 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$2.43 MYR 9.92

339.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$12.28 MYR 50.1

256.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$3.53 MYR 14.39

233.99%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.81 MYR 11.45

34.88%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.67 MYR 2.73

94.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.42 MYR 1.70

97.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.79 MYR 11.36

12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$5.88 MYR 23.98

-16.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.61 MYR 6.55

-12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$0.81 MYR 3.29

171.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.46 MYR 5.95

0.68%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.34 MYR 5.45

86.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$9.73 MYR 39.66

-25.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$3.32 MYR 13.51

139.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$4.35 MYR 17.74

195.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.92 MYR 11.90

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.67 MYR 10.88

-6.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.74 MYR 7.11

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.76 MYR 7.17

14.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.90 MYR 7.76

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.70 MYR 2.83

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.55 MYR 2.25

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.22 MYR 17.19

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$19.87 MYR 81.0

-50.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.94 MYR 7.90

41.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.51 MYR 2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$12.05 MYR 49.12

127.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.09 MYR 4.44

336.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.35 MYR 1.44

828.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$8.92 MYR 36.34

-39.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.51 MYR 2.09

200.00%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$34.3K MYR 139.6K

-38.09%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$35.1K MYR 143.0K

-33.70%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$48.55 MYR 198

71.97%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$8.40 MYR 34.22

176.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$24.38 MYR 99.3

13.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$37.84 MYR 154

49.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$6.51 MYR 26.54

333.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$4.58 MYR 18.68

9.17%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$281 MYR 1,143

-26.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

-49.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$52.3 MYR 213

-16.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$30.31 MYR 124

40.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$49.21 MYR 201

47.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$49.39 MYR 201

78.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$414 MYR 1,688

140.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$288 MYR 1,173

32.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$732 MYR 2,982

128.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$561 MYR 2,288

92.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$2,019 MYR 8,229

93.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,175 MYR 4,789

422.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

$965 MYR 3,930

-13.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.15

175.90%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kuantan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Kuantan

$288 35.1% 24.7% $95

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Kuantan

$212 25.8% 17.8% $46

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Kuantan

$94 11.4% 53.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Kuantan

$81 9.9% 39.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Kuantan

$82 9.9% 26.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Kuantan

$47 5.7% 29.3% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kuantan

$17 2.1% 66.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $414 in Kuantan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Kuantan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $12 in Kuantan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $212 – making Kuantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Kuantan

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

17:50 5:50 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

548,014

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kuantan 17,070 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kuantan

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 Kuantan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,230 in Kuantan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuantan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $281 in Kuantan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuantan, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Kuantan 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 $820 in Kuantan to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Kuantan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.