Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
Learn more

Malindi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $517 in Malindi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Malindi $517

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $803 in Malindi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Malindi $803

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,090 in Malindi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Malindi $1,090

Playa del Carmen costs about 133% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Malindi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Malindi 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.14 KES 277

410.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$25.30 KES 3,284

71.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.44 KES 1,355

12.84%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.70 KES 351

41.11%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.68 KES 88.5

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.52 KES 67.1

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.29 KES 298

38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.23 KES 419

52.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$0.90 KES 117

56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.50 KES 64.3

344.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.25 KES 162

13.60%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.83 KES 237

37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.40 KES 1,480

-36.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.98 KES 647

54.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$4.89 KES 635

159.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.07 KES 269

34.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$0.78 KES 101

75.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.76 KES 228

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$0.71 KES 91.7

198.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$0.72 KES 93.7

169.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$0.65 KES 84.0

190.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$0.59 KES 77.1

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.45 KES 58.8

162.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.16 KES 540

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.83 KES 1,276

1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.01 KES 261

-21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.96 KES 384

-9.80%

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

$3.14 KES 408

58.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.78 KES 231

87.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.59 KES 596

16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.37 KES 178

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

71.52%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

95.47%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$76.0 KES 9,870

11.51%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$8.99 KES 1,166

160.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$30.23 KES 3,924

-5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$38.62 KES 5,013

47.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$15.42 KES 2,002

-66.67%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$85.5 KES 11.1K

141.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$5,381 KES 698.4K

-27.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$13.28 KES 1,723

226.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$13.38 KES 1,737

209.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$23.49 KES 3,049

215.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$46.81 KES 6,076

90.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$379 KES 49.2K

351.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-11.92%

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 Malindi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Malindi

$173 33.4% 32.3% $82

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Malindi

$104 20.1% 48.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Malindi

$115 22.3% 15.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Malindi

$44 8.5% 60.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Malindi

$69 13.5% 3.2% $2.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Malindi

$12 * 2.3% 76.1% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Malindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $173 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

117,735

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Malindi 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 133% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $775 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $25 in Malindi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Malindi 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 $517 in Malindi to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.