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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 43.2% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 51.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13.6% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 61.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$2.97 MYR 12.54
303.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$20.84 MYR 87.9
103.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.34 MYR 18.32
141.24%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.84 MYR 11.97
26.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.69 MYR 2.89
108.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.36 MYR 1.52
147.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$4.23 MYR 17.84
-26.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.41 MYR 18.6
3.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.82 MYR 7.65
-24.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.99 MYR 4.18
86.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$2.04 MYR 8.62
-23.04%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.05 MYR 8.63
24.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$17.11 MYR 72.2
-49.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.23 MYR 22.05
63.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$14.77 MYR 62.3
-25.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.91 MYR 12.25
-6.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.46 MYR 6.18
3.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.59 MYR 10.92
-27.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$2.11 MYR 8.88
3.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.18 MYR 4.98
58.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.21 MYR 5.1
80.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.91 MYR 3.82
17.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.45 MYR 1.91
142.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.2 MYR 17.73
-5.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$14.1 MYR 59.5
-37.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.71 MYR 11.44
-36.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.47 MYR 14.65
-24.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.49 MYR 2.05
6.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$17.98 MYR 75.8
47.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.72 MYR 3.04
350.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.5 MYR 2.1
376.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$7 MYR 29.53
-55.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.46 MYR 1.96
184.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$33.6K MYR 141.7K
-9.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$27.1K MYR 114.3K
-11.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$39.21 MYR 165
114.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$10.33 MYR 43.55
114.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$31.17 MYR 131
-3.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$32.59 MYR 137
59.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$5.59 MYR 23.59
234.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.01 MYR 21.15
1.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$241 MYR 1,014
-16.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,174 MYR 26K
-13.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$55.3 MYR 233
-35.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$28.42 MYR 120
40.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$61.2 MYR 258
28.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$53.6 MYR 226
64.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$388 MYR 1,637
148.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$230 MYR 968
106.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$640 MYR 2,700
158.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$522 MYR 2,201
130.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,431 MYR 10.3K
26.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,481 MYR 6,247
408.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Penang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,101 MYR 4,643
-28.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.16
174.52%

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 Penang: October 26, 2025

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