Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Langkawi: $531 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $531 in Langkawi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Langkawi $531

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $764 in Langkawi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Langkawi $764

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $997 in Langkawi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Langkawi $997

Playa del Carmen costs about 127% more than Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Langkawi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Langkawi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.35 MYR 13.57

225.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$19.89 MYR 80.6

118.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.34 MYR 25.72

85.80%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.59 MYR 6.45

139.62%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.84 MYR 3.42

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.57 MYR 2.31

36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.72 MYR 6.99

84.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.21 MYR 8.98

123.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.73 MYR 7.01

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.32 MYR 5.34

68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.78 MYR 7.23

41.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$17.15 MYR 69.5

-57.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.00 MYR 8.09

39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.95 MYR 3.84

44.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.76 MYR 7.14

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.70 MYR 6.88

24.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.70 MYR 2.82

170.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.74 MYR 15.16

14.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.48 MYR 34.36

17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$0.95 MYR 3.85

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.19 MYR 4.83

124.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.87 MYR 3.51

65.52%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$24.7K MYR 100.3K

-16.45%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$37.13 MYR 151

128.36%

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

$23.41 MX$440

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$24.05 MYR 97.5

137.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

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

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$305 MYR 1,237

221.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$240 MYR 975

58.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$361 MYR 1,463

373.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$318 MYR 1,289

238.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,156 MYR 4,686

241.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,233 MYR 4,998

-40.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Langkawi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Langkawi

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Langkawi

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Langkawi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Langkawi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Langkawi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Langkawi

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Langkawi

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $305 in Langkawi. 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 68% higher in Langkawi, 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $20 in Langkawi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $146 – making Langkawi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

30,212

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Langkawi 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Langkawi

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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $531 in Langkawi – Langkawi comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $796 in Langkawi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Langkawi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $20 in Langkawi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $531 in Langkawi. That makes Langkawi about 56% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Langkawi, where all-in costs run around $531, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Langkawi 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 $531 in Langkawi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.