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 58.7% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 39% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 27.5% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 72.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$3.47 MYR 14.63
245.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$18.92 MYR 79.8
124.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.6 MYR 19.4
127.61%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.72 MYR 11.47
32.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.73 MYR 3.07
97.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.39 MYR 1.66
128.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$3.47 MYR 14.62
-10.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.92 MYR 20.75
-6.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.87 MYR 7.89
-26.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.95 MYR 4.01
94.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.72 MYR 7.24
-8.72%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.18 MYR 9.18
16.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$10.64 MYR 44.87
-19.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.39 MYR 14.3
151.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.19 MYR 34.54
34.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.79 MYR 11.76
-2.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.75 MYR 7.37
-13.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.53 MYR 10.68
-25.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.25 MYR 5.27
75.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.13 MYR 4.75
65.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.4 MYR 5.89
56.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.96 MYR 4.04
11.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.58 MYR 2.45
87.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.27 MYR 18.01
-7.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$18.88 MYR 79.6
-53.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.68 MYR 11.31
-35.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.83 MYR 16.16
-31.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.71 MYR 2.99
-26.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$11.75 MYR 49.57
126.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.03 MYR 4.33
214.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.35 MYR 1.49
580.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$9.36 MYR 39.46
-66.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.49 MYR 2.07
167.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$31.3K MYR 132.2K
-3.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$28K MYR 118.2K
-14.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$41.58 MYR 175
102.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$8.89 MYR 37.47
149.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$22.97 MYR 96.9
31.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$37.26 MYR 157
39.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$7.23 MYR 30.5
158.92%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.08 MYR 21.43
-0.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$210 MYR 887
-4.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$8,001 MYR 33.7K
-33.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$49.01 MYR 207
-27.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$34.16 MYR 144
16.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$55.2 MYR 233
43.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$48.06 MYR 203
83.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$455 MYR 1,917
112.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$349 MYR 1,471
35.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$823 MYR 3,471
100.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$542 MYR 2,287
121.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,404 MYR 10.1K
28.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$821 MYR 3,463
816.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,668 MYR 7,036
-52.54%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

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