Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ragama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $502 in Ragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ragama $502

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $816 in Ragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ragama $816

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,129 in Ragama, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ragama $1,129

Playa del Carmen costs about 140% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ragama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ragama 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$3.89 LKR 1,294

180.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$25.24 LKR 8,390

71.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$7.42 LKR 2,467

58.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.45 LKR 815

55.51%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.73 LKR 243

75.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.27 LKR 90.2

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.26 LKR 750

40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.01 LKR 1,000

63.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.43 LKR 474

-1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.50 LKR 165

344.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.68 LKR 227

108.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.66 LKR 551

51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.02 LKR 4,660

-48.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.82 LKR 1,603

59.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$7.40 LKR 2,460

71.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$6.56 LKR 2,180

-57.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.81 LKR 270

69.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$4.32 LKR 1,435

-40.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.32 LKR 437

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.04 LKR 345

86.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.77 LKR 255

145.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.92 LKR 306

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.45 LKR 150

162.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$10.17 LKR 3,380

-57.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$12.95 LKR 4,304

-23.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.91 LKR 636

-17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.00 LKR 997

-11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.38 LKR 126

1207.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.35 LKR 115

851.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$0.87 LKR 288

516.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.34 LKR 444

7.46%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-53.08%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-41.25%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

46.16%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$4.24 LKR 1,409

452.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.84 LKR 6,927

37.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$4.42 LKR 1,471

16.29%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

453.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

222.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$18.43 LKR 6,126

135.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$16.62 LKR 5,526

149.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

-6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

111.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

12.69

-9.77%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ragama

$234 46.5% 8.3% $21

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ragama

$104 20.7% 48.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ragama

$83 16.5% 39.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ragama

$70 14% 36.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 86.9% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.8% $48

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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

06:33 6:33 AM

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 = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ragama 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $753 in Ragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $502 in Ragama. That makes Ragama about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $37 in Ragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ragama 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 $502 in Ragama to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.