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 38.8% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 28.9% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 72.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$3.45 MYR 13.65
236.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$19.09 MYR 75.4
123.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.58 MYR 18.09
131.44%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.82 MYR 11.12
27.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.67 MYR 2.63
116.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.39 MYR 1.55
130.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$3.44 MYR 13.61
-11.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$5.21 MYR 20.59
-12.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.87 MYR 7.40
-22.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.02 MYR 4.04
79.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.79 MYR 7.06
-10.06%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.26 MYR 8.93
12.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$10.46 MYR 41.33
-18.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.39 MYR 13.39
149.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$8.22 MYR 32.47
32.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.63 MYR 10.40
3.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.68 MYR 6.65
-11.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.47 MYR 9.75
-21.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.24 MYR 4.91
74.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.14 MYR 4.50
62.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.34 MYR 5.30
63.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.95 MYR 3.76
12.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.62 MYR 2.45
74.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.35 MYR 17.20
-6.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$19.85 MYR 78.4
-47.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.69 MYR 10.64
-38.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.93 MYR 15.52
-35.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.75 MYR 2.98
-25.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$11.61 MYR 45.86
125.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.98 MYR 3.89
220.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.33 MYR 1.29
618.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$9.45 MYR 37.35
-65.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.47 MYR 1.85
178.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$31.1K MYR 122.7K
-1.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$28.0K MYR 110.5K
-14.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$40.62 MYR 160
104.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$9.08 MYR 35.87
143.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$23.14 MYR 91.4
26.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$37.14 MYR 147
37.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$7.19 MYR 28.39
159.94%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$4.93 MYR 19.47
-0.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$211 MYR 833
-5.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$8,152 MYR 32.2K
-36.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$49.59 MYR 196
-27.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$34.85 MYR 138
13.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$54.7 MYR 216
46.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$49.12 MYR 194
78.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$455 MYR 1,798
111.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$347 MYR 1,371
38.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$828 MYR 3,271
98.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$536 MYR 2,118
122.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$3,238 MYR 12.8K
22.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$217 MYR 856
2906.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$1,792 MYR 7,079
-59.47%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: April 13, 2026

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

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