Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Polonnaruwa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Polonnaruwa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $510 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Polonnaruwa $1,148

Playa del Carmen costs about 136% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Polonnaruwa are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Polonnaruwa 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.89 LKR 1,294

174.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$25.28 LKR 8,410

73.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$7.32 LKR 2,435

61.07%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$2.56 LKR 850

48.05%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.69 LKR 228

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.27 LKR 89.8

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.17 LKR 721

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.98 LKR 990

65.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.58 LKR 526

-10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.54 LKR 178

307.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.81 LKR 269

81.48%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.70 LKR 567

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.24 LKR 5,069

-52.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$4.93 LKR 1,639

61.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$7.66 LKR 2,547

67.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-55.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.81 LKR 269

70.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-41.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.27 LKR 423

59.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.04 LKR 345

94.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$0.77 LKR 255

146.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.26 LKR 419

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.42 LKR 139

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.10 LKR 3,358

-57.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.57 LKR 4,513

-27.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.87 LKR 622

-14.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.98 LKR 990

-7.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.37 LKR 124

1186.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.31 LKR 102

948.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$0.86 LKR 285

526.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.32 LKR 439

15.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-52.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-48.91%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83.5 MX$1,554

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

44.00%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.19 MX$431

$4.27 LKR 1,419

443.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$20.36 LKR 6,772

35.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.60 LKR 1,532

8.70%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,854

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

414.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-69.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$18.01 LKR 5,989

141.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$17.32 LKR 5,761

145.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

-7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

115.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.5

-8.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 47.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 38.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 37.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 86.1% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.2% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $242 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

15:38 3:38 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Polonnaruwa 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Polonnaruwa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Playa del Carmen vs Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $765 in Polonnaruwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $510 in Polonnaruwa. That makes Polonnaruwa about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Polonnaruwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Polonnaruwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $510 in Polonnaruwa to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.