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 20.4% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 46.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 35.3% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 61.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$212

$3.07 MYR 12.13

285.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$755

$21.19 MYR 83.7

98.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$192

$4.20 MYR 16.58

155.95%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$62.2

$2.96 MYR 11.71

17.23%

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

$1.45 MX$26.01

$0.74 MYR 2.93

95.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$16.16

$0.37 MYR 1.45

143.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$54.7

$4.49 MYR 17.73

-32.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$79.1

$4.40 MYR 17.40

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.51

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-27.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.51

$0.99 MYR 3.92

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.63

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-24.88%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.81

$2.15 MYR 8.48

16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$154

$17.37 MYR 68.6

-50.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$155

$5.00 MYR 19.74

72.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$197

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$49.22

$2.78 MYR 10.96

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.56

$1.47 MYR 5.80

-2.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.52

$2.58 MYR 10.21

-27.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.80

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-0.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.70

$1.14 MYR 4.50

64.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$40.21

$1.20 MYR 4.75

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$19.11

$0.89 MYR 3.53

20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.22

$0.49 MYR 1.93

118.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$74.4

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-4.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$185

$19.52 MYR 77.1

-47.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$30.06

$2.62 MYR 10.34

-35.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$44.46

$3.48 MYR 13.75

-28.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.93

$0.46 MYR 1.80

19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$475

$17.36 MYR 68.6

52.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$57.6

$0.68 MYR 2.68

373.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$44.42

$0.50 MYR 1.98

396.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$55.7

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-56.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.48

$0.49 MYR 1.96

157.14%

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

$30.7K MX$548.8K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

-9.76%

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

$24.0K MX$430.3K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

-13.75%

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

$82.5 MX$1,476

$39.37 MYR 156

109.50%

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

$22.29 MX$399

$10.01 MYR 39.54

122.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$537

$31.45 MYR 124

-4.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$921

$33.02 MYR 130

55.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$327

$5.53 MYR 21.84

230.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$89.2

$4.81 MYR 19.01

3.53%

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

$200 MX$3,580

$237 MYR 937

-15.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$94.9K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

-15.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$639

$54.3 MYR 214

-34.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$708

$29.00 MYR 115

36.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,442

$62.5 MYR 247

28.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,581

$52.4 MYR 207

68.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.4K

$394 MYR 1,556

146.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,632

$230 MYR 910

109.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.6K

$641 MYR 2,531

148.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$21.2K

$517 MYR 2,042

128.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$72.5K

$2,335 MYR 9,224

73.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$116.7K

$1,191 MYR 4,703

447.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.5K

$974 MYR 3,849

-22.38%

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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Penang: March 2, 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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