Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Polonnaruwa Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Polonnaruwa

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 51% more expensive than Polonnaruwa without rent, and 137% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 45.3% more expensive than Polonnaruwa without rent, and 158.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$3.92 LKR 1,211
202.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$25.43 LKR 7,860
65.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$8.55 LKR 2,642
25.73%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$2.64 LKR 815
31.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.74 LKR 230
95.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.40 LKR 125
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$2.33 LKR 719
30.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$3.25 LKR 1,005
36.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.70 LKR 527
-19.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$0.52 LKR 160
259.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$0.85 LKR 264
81.18%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$2.19 LKR 678
14.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$14.22 LKR 4,394
-39.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$4.74 LKR 1,464
82.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$8.19 LKR 2,530
34.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$7.55 LKR 2,332
-63.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$1.11 LKR 344
28.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$5.69 LKR 1,759
-67.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$1.24 LKR 384
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$1.12 LKR 345
67.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$1.41 LKR 435
59.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$1.14 LKR 351
-6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$0.60 LKR 184
78.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$9.94 LKR 3,073
-58.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$12.90 LKR 3,988
-19.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.99 LKR 615
-15.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$2.83 LKR 876
-12.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$0.42 LKR 129
666.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$0.33 LKR 101
651.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$0.61 LKR 189
409.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.25 LKR 385
0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$26.6K LKR 8.2M
15.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$35.4K LKR 10.9M
-32.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$60.0 LKR 18.5K
37.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$4.34 LKR 1,342
413.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$14.86 LKR 4,594
102.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$3.40 LKR 1,051
46.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$36.53 LKR 11.3K
447.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$437 LKR 135.1K
1113.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$27.35 LKR 8,453
30.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$19.18 LKR 5,927
106.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$69.4 LKR 21.4K
16.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$38.14 LKR 11.8K
131.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
16.45
-30.58%

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 Polonnaruwa: 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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