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 70.3% more expensive than Madang without rent, and 129.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 75.3% more expensive than Madang without rent, and 63.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$6.58 PGK 28.63
80.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$37.88 PGK 165
11.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$10.96 PGK 47.65
-1.92%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$2.46 PGK 10.71
41.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$1.17 PGK 5.10
23.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.73 PGK 3.18
23.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$2.91 PGK 12.67
4.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$4.34 PGK 18.89
1.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.90 PGK 8.26
-27.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.46 PGK 6.36
28.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.46 PGK 6.37
5.48%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$3.43 PGK 14.93
-27.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$5.66 PGK 24.61
52.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$7.95 PGK 34.59
38.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$5.25 PGK 22.83
-47.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$2.38 PGK 10.37
-39.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.00 PGK 4.36
87.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$1.88 PGK 8.18
15.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$4.94 PGK 21.49
-61.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$2.82 PGK 12.28
-20.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$5.98 PGK 26.03
-82.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$0.49 PGK 2.13
118.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$5.17 PGK 22.48
-19.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$11.78 PGK 51.2
-12.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$2.22 PGK 9.67
-24.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$2.46 PGK 10.72
0.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.10 PGK 4.79
14.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$68.2 PGK 297
20.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$23.73 PGK 103
26.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$79.5 PGK 346
151.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$6,066 PGK 26.4K
-12.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$19.37 PGK 84.3
84.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$14.36 PGK 62.5
175.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$66.6 PGK 290
20.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$28.50 PGK 124
209.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$979 PGK 4,259
62.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$594 PGK 2,585
99.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Madang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$231 PGK 1,007
226.74%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Madang: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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