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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 99% more expensive than Madang without rent, and 131.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 26.4% more expensive than Madang without rent, and 63.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$6.62 PGK 27.01
81.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$37.97 PGK 155
11.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$10.86 PGK 44.35
-3.59%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.47 PGK 10.06
45.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$1.17 PGK 4.78
23.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.69 PGK 2.83
28.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.95 PGK 12.04
4.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.43 PGK 18.09
3.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.91 PGK 7.8
-27.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.45 PGK 5.93
27.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.42 PGK 5.8
10.56%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$3.38 PGK 13.78
-24.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.9 PGK 24.09
44.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.2 PGK 33.49
33.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$5.39 PGK 22.01
-49.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$2.34 PGK 9.57
-35.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$0.98 PGK 4
91.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.9 PGK 7.75
15.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$4.89 PGK 19.96
-61.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$2.8 PGK 11.42
-21.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$5.9 PGK 24.08
-81.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.47 PGK 1.9
131.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$5.3 PGK 21.64
-25.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.69 PGK 47.71
-24.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.1 PGK 8.59
-18.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.34 PGK 9.54
11.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.07 PGK 4.35
22.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$67 PGK 274
25.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$23.7 PGK 96.8
27.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$80 PGK 326
150.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,047 PGK 24.7K
-11.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$19.46 PGK 79.4
83.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$14.65 PGK 59.8
171.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$66.2 PGK 270
19.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$28.76 PGK 117
207.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$962 PGK 3,927
71.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$609 PGK 2,486
97.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$233 PGK 952
239.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
0
-

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 Madang: October 28, 2025

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