Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $913 in Penang.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,403 in Penang.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,894 in Penang.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Penang $1,894

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 32% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.73 MYR 15.18

192.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$19.91 MYR 81.1

117.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.78 MYR 19.47

146.44%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.98 MYR 12.15

27.85%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.75 MYR 3.07

70.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.37 MYR 1.50

110.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.06 MYR 16.55

-21.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.38 MYR 17.83

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.08 MYR 4.41

105.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.76 MYR 7.19

-19.32%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.22 MYR 9.04

13.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$13.46 MYR 54.9

-46.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.45 MYR 18.13

73.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$8.70 MYR 35.45

45.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.92 MYR 11.89

-4.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.65 MYR 6.72

-16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.61 MYR 10.63

-2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.40 MYR 5.70

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.05 MYR 4.28

84.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.12 MYR 4.55

68.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.10 MYR 4.47

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.59 MYR 2.39

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.69 MYR 19.09

-8.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$19.31 MYR 78.7

-48.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$3.00 MYR 12.24

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$5.41 MYR 22.04

-50.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.50 MYR 2.04

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$12.03 MYR 49.00

121.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.66 MYR 6.78

199.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.38 MYR 1.54

776.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.47 MYR 30.44

-28.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.95 MYR 3.85

51.58%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$44.2K MYR 180.1K

-53.24%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$35.8K MYR 145.7K

-34.38%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$36.68 MYR 149

131.16%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.56 MYR 38.94

144.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$29.49 MYR 120

-2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$39.20 MYR 160

45.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$4.85 MYR 19.78

496.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.78 MYR 19.47

7.53%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$398 MYR 1,620

-48.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

-62.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$60.9 MYR 248

-28.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$35.45 MYR 144

16.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$83.6 MYR 340

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$70.2 MYR 286

27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$408 MYR 1,662

140.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$287 MYR 1,170

32.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$698 MYR 2,842

144.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$534 MYR 2,176

101.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,117 MYR 8,624

86.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,261 MYR 5,137

388.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$931 MYR 3,795

-21.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.04

183.42%

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 Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Penang

$287 31.5% 24.6% $94

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Penang

$257 28.2% 1% $2.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Penang

$113 12.4% 43.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Penang

$76 8.3% 44.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Penang

$113 12.3% 0.8% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Penang

$49 5.3% 27.6% $19

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Penang

$18 1.9% 65.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $257, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

158,336

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Penang 17,020 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $398 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Penang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.