Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Petaling Jaya

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 39.2% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 40.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 52.4% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 69.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$3.65 MYR 14.33
224.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$18.95 MYR 74.5
122.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$4.74 MYR 18.61
126.79%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$2.81 MYR 11.06
23.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.73 MYR 2.87
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.40 MYR 1.57
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$3.58 MYR 14.07
-14.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$4.97 MYR 19.52
-11.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.94 MYR 7.64
-29.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$0.94 MYR 3.71
98.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.78 MYR 7.00
-13.48%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$2.25 MYR 8.84
11.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$10.55 MYR 41.45
-18.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$3.55 MYR 13.96
143.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$7.89 MYR 31.02
39.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$2.79 MYR 10.95
-1.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$1.67 MYR 6.57
-14.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$2.45 MYR 9.61
-23.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$1.20 MYR 4.72
80.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$1.18 MYR 4.63
59.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$1.33 MYR 5.22
69.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$0.95 MYR 3.75
12.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$0.58 MYR 2.30
84.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$4.26 MYR 16.75
-2.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$20.10 MYR 79.0
-48.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$2.66 MYR 10.47
-36.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$3.92 MYR 15.39
-36.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.77 MYR 3.01
-28.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$11.59 MYR 45.55
128.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$1.03 MYR 4.03
212.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$0.35 MYR 1.39
608.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$9.50 MYR 37.32
-67.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$0.46 MYR 1.82
173.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$31.5K MYR 123.9K
-2.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$28.4K MYR 111.5K
-15.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$40.92 MYR 161
101.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$9.19 MYR 36.10
142.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$22.78 MYR 89.5
31.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$36.50 MYR 143
40.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$7.22 MYR 28.36
153.32%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$4.93 MYR 19.39
1.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$211 MYR 828
-5.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$8,077 MYR 31.7K
-34.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$49.40 MYR 194
-27.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$34.58 MYR 136
14.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$53.3 MYR 209
51.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$48.25 MYR 190
83.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$465 MYR 1,826
108.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$339 MYR 1,331
42.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$829 MYR 3,258
92.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$545 MYR 2,143
117.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$3,253 MYR 12.8K
24.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$803 MYR 3,156
712.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$1,811 MYR 7,115
-58.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.49
154.34%

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 Petaling Jaya: March 1, 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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