Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $805 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $805 in Miri.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Miri $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,224 in Miri.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Miri $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,644 in Miri.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Miri $1,644

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 50% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Miri 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$3.55 MYR 14.40

207.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$12.12 MYR 49.15

257.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.42 MYR 17.91

166.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$2.26 MYR 9.15

68.58%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.80 MYR 3.24

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.30 MYR 1.22

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.90 MYR 11.77

9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.86 MYR 15.65

27.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.40 MYR 5.69

0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.80 MYR 7.29

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.99 MYR 4.02

43.43%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.43 MYR 13.89

-26.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$4.88 MYR 19.80

57.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$14.99 MYR 60.8

-15.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.96 MYR 7.95

-30.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.39 MYR 1.57

202.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$4.29 MYR 17.39

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$19.71 MYR 79.9

-49.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$3.00 MYR 12.15

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.33 MYR 9.46

14.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$0.47 MYR 1.92

17.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$14.01 MYR 56.8

90.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.25 MYR 5.05

297.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.59 MYR 2.38

464.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.98 MYR 24.24

-10.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$0.64 MYR 2.61

125.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$49.6K MYR 201.0K

-58.32%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$32.5K MYR 131.8K

-27.82%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$49.18 MYR 199

72.41%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$9.92 MYR 40.21

135.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$33.44 MYR 136

-14.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$29.19 MYR 118

95.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$6.25 MYR 25.35

362.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$4.33 MYR 17.57

18.71%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$99.5 MYR 403

107.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$6,535 MYR 26.5K

-39.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$44.80 MYR 182

-3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$23.11 MYR 93.7

79.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$55.3 MYR 224

34.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$43.17 MYR 175

106.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$348 MYR 1,409

181.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$289 MYR 1,173

31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$589 MYR 2,388

189.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$578 MYR 2,343

86.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$1,201 MYR 4,868

228.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$680 MYR 2,756

805.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$688 MYR 2,789

6.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.12

177.91%

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 Miri: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Miri

$289 36% 24% $91

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Miri

$195 * 24.2% 23.6% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Miri

$95 11.9% 52.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Miri

$93 11.5% 32.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Miri

$75 9.3% 33% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Miri

$38 4.7% 43.8% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Miri

$20 2.5% 60.2% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $348 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 7% 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 in Playa del Carmen vs $12 in Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $195 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

248,877

💱 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 = 20.97 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 = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Miri 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $348 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Miri – a meal for two runs $12 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $805 in Miri – Miri is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $805 in Miri versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Miri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.