Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lae Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lae

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 47.6% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 1.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 26.5% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 118.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.73 MX$222
$10.58 PGK 43.2
10.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$785
$54.3 PGK 222
-23.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.57 MX$200
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.49 MX$65.9
$2.81 PGK 11.48
24.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$27.33
$0.85 PGK 3.47
70.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$18.33
$0.63 PGK 2.55
53.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$57.2
$3.51 PGK 14.33
-13.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 MX$86.8
$5.81 PGK 23.71
-21.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.87
$2.21 PGK 9.01
-35.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$35.43
$1.58 PGK 6.46
18.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$29.2
$1.42 PGK 5.78
8.45%
Eggs
$2.6 MX$49.21
$4.19 PGK 17.12
-37.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 MX$157
$10.21 PGK 41.67
-18.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$9.69 PGK 39.57
-11.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MX$202
$11.3 PGK 46.15
-5.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.2
$4.79 PGK 19.55
-44.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.5
$2.91 PGK 11.89
-48.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.87
$6.4 PGK 26.14
-70.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.45
$1.67 PGK 6.81
31.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.7
$3.61 PGK 14.75
-50.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 MX$41.05
$2.54 PGK 10.36
-14.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.14
$0.74 PGK 3.01
44.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.53
$0.94 PGK 3.83
15.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$78.8
$7.22 PGK 29.46
-42.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 MX$165
$13.11 PGK 53.5
-33.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$31.91
$2.72 PGK 11.09
-37.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 MX$47.74
$4.54 PGK 18.54
-44.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.59
$0.37 PGK 1.52
37.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.97 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 MX$61.4
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$47.01
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$60.8
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.87
$1.12 PGK 4.58
12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MX$564.1K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$442.5K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.8 MX$431
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$568
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$972
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 MX$346
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 MX$94.1
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$197 MX$3,719
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,254 MX$99.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.81 MX$677
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.43 MX$745
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 MX$1,529
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 MX$1,631
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$968 MX$18.3K
$7,910 PGK 32.3K
-87.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MX$9,037
$763 PGK 3,115
-37.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 MX$30.8K
$1,445 PGK 5,898
12.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$22.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,137 MX$59.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,586 MX$143.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lae
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 MX$15.2K
$165 PGK 672
389.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
0
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Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

Last update for Lae: November 2, 2025

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