Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $987 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $987 in Lumut, Perak.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Lumut, Perak $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,449 in Lumut, Perak.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Lumut, Perak $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,910 in Lumut, Perak.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Lumut, Perak $1,910

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Lumut, Perak 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.56 MYR 14.52

202.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$12.21 MYR 49.79

252.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.92 MYR 20.06

139.63%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.97 MYR 12.14

30.30%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.83 MYR 3.39

65.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.38 MYR 1.56

121.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.84 MYR 15.65

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$5.97 MYR 24.34

-15.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.14 MYR 8.73

-32.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.07 MYR 4.38

108.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.02 MYR 8.25

-27.23%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.46 MYR 10.05

2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-47.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.38 MYR 17.88

79.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.89 MYR 40.36

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.35 MYR 13.68

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.83 MYR 7.45

-21.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.25 MYR 9.18

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.60 MYR 6.53

28.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.28 MYR 5.24

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.35 MYR 5.52

48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.18 MYR 4.82

0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.66 MYR 2.68

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.39 MYR 17.90

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$19.67 MYR 80.2

-51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.51 MYR 14.31

-54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$5.03 MYR 20.51

-44.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.64 MYR 2.62

-10.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$11.47 MYR 46.78

142.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.23 MYR 5.03

304.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.21 MYR 4.92

189.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$4.92 MYR 20.06

9.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.88 MYR 3.57

67.05%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

-50.29%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-29.69%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$61.4 MYR 251

37.08%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$8.79 MYR 35.87

172.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$26.41 MYR 108

9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$37.77 MYR 154

66.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$6.93 MYR 28.29

320.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$5.12 MYR 20.89

-3.52%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$303 MYR 1,236

-32.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$12.9K MYR 52.6K

-69.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$70.9 MYR 289

-38.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$41.12 MYR 168

4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$87.5 MYR 357

-13.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$95.2 MYR 388

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$406 MYR 1,657

148.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$299 MYR 1,222

24.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$686 MYR 2,798

149.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$475 MYR 1,940

132.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,306 MYR 9,407

71.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,183 MYR 4,824

421.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$381 MYR 1,555

97.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.18

173.92%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Lumut, Perak

$299 30.4% 19.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Lumut, Perak

$274 27.8% 6% $16

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 43.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.8% 29.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.4% 17.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Lumut, Perak

$48 4.9% 34.1% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Lumut, Perak

$21 2.2% 59.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 98% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $12.00 in Lumut, Perak. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $274, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

14:10 2:10 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

39,595

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lumut, Perak 17,130 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lumut, Perak

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $406 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $987 in Lumut, Perak – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $987 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lumut, Perak but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Lumut, Perak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lumut, Perak delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $987 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lumut, Perak hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Lumut, Perak are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lumut, Perak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.