Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $405 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
Learn more

Negombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $405 in Negombo.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Negombo $405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $650 in Negombo.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Negombo $650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $895 in Negombo.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Negombo $895

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 197% more expensive than in Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Negombo 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.90 LKR 1,298

173.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$14.85 LKR 4,940

194.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.44 LKR 2,473

58.47%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.47 LKR 488

157.82%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.63 LKR 209

106.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.27 LKR 89.9

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.19 LKR 728

43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.03 LKR 1,009

62.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.62 LKR 540

-12.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.58 LKR 192

279.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.81 LKR 270

81.48%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.69 LKR 563

47.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.17 LKR 5,047

-51.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.29 LKR 1,426

85.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$5.98 LKR 1,990

115.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$1.86 LKR 619

55.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.64 LKR 212

115.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.19 LKR 730

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.15 LKR 383

76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$0.73 LKR 243

176.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.79 LKR 261

140.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.94 LKR 311

21.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.46 LKR 152

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.12 LKR 3,367

-57.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.40 LKR 4,458

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.98 LKR 657

-19.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.87 LKR 955

-4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.29 LKR 96.0

75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.40 LKR 135

1090.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.33 LKR 111

884.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.93 LKR 310

479.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.99 LKR 329

54.55%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$43.0K LKR 14.3M

-50.68%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$46.5K LKR 15.5M

-50.00%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$25.87 LKR 8,604

222.73%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.24 LKR 1,410

446.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.84 LKR 6,931

32.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$15.24 LKR 5,068

270.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$8.93 LKR 2,970

215.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$2.39 LKR 795

109.21%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$40.29 LKR 13.4K

413.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$445 LKR 148.1K

1074.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$8.91 LKR 2,964

387.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.26 LKR 5,742

146.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$36.08 LKR 12.0K

101.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$23.91 LKR 7,954

269.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$180 LKR 60.0K

361.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.5

-8.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Negombo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Negombo

$200 49.4% 22.3% $57

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Negombo

$92 22.7% 54.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Negombo

$51 12.6% 62.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Negombo

$39 9.6% 65.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Negombo

$20 5% 69.9% $46

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Negombo

$3.2 * 0.8% 93.6% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $15 in Negombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $200 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

12:17 12:17 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

142,449

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Negombo 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 4.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Negombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $15 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $405 in Negombo versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Negombo wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.