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 44.5% more expensive than Polonnaruwa without rent, and 138.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 37.9% more expensive than Polonnaruwa without rent, and 157.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$4.03 LKR 1,273
188.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$25.34 LKR 7,994
68.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$8.29 LKR 2,615
27.86%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.75 LKR 869
30.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.74 LKR 232
95.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.38 LKR 120
136.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.31 LKR 727
31.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.37 LKR 1,064
35.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.79 LKR 564
-18.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.52 LKR 165
251.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$0.82 LKR 260
96.34%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.12 LKR 669
19.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$13.82 LKR 4,359
-38.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$4.60 LKR 1,452
84.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$8.22 LKR 2,593
32.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$7.26 LKR 2,292
-62.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.12 LKR 352
33.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$5.74 LKR 1,810
-66.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.20 LKR 380
80.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.10 LKR 346
68.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.41 LKR 445
55.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.15 LKR 364
-6.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.59 LKR 186
83.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$10.18 LKR 3,211
-60.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$12.52 LKR 3,950
-16.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.00 LKR 631
-17.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.86 LKR 903
-10.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.39 LKR 123
705.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.32 LKR 102
640.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$0.57 LKR 179
468.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.20 LKR 380
9.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$27.0K LKR 8.5M
13.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$35.0K LKR 11.0M
-31.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$61.2 LKR 19.3K
35.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$4.32 LKR 1,362
412.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$15.38 LKR 4,852
90.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$3.38 LKR 1,066
44.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$37.29 LKR 11.8K
432.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$440 LKR 138.8K
1083.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$27.21 LKR 8,585
32.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$19.60 LKR 6,183
100.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$68.8 LKR 21.7K
16.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$38.91 LKR 12.3K
125.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Polonnaruwa: April 11, 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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