Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
Learn more

Rawang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $735 in Rawang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Rawang $735

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,173 in Rawang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Rawang $1,173

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,611 in Rawang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Rawang $1,611

Playa del Carmen costs about 64% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rawang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rawang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$3.72 MYR 15.15

193.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$19.66 MYR 80.1

120.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.97 MYR 20.25

137.02%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.00 MYR 12.22

27.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.82 MYR 3.35

56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.40 MYR 1.61

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$4.23 MYR 17.23

-25.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.42 MYR 18.01

11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.79 MYR 7.30

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.04 MYR 4.23

113.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.14 MYR 8.72

17.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.18 MYR 57.8

-48.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$4.43 MYR 18.04

73.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.17 MYR 41.42

24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.92 MYR 11.88

-4.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-24.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.64 MYR 10.77

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.43 MYR 5.82

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.22 MYR 4.98

59.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.31 MYR 5.34

44.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.12 MYR 4.58

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.57 MYR 2.33

107.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$19.06 MYR 77.7

-47.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.85 MYR 11.62

-44.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$4.94 MYR 20.13

-45.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$12.26 MYR 49.97

117.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.74 MYR 7.09

185.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.37 MYR 1.52

800.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.83 MYR 27.82

-21.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.83 MYR 3.37

73.49%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

-52.45%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

-32.98%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$36.97 MYR 151

129.35%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$9.75 MYR 39.71

140.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$28.46 MYR 116

0.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$37.63 MYR 153

51.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$6.70 MYR 27.31

331.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.87 MYR 19.85

5.54%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$401 MYR 1,634

-48.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

-64.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$60.1 MYR 245

-27.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$34.90 MYR 142

18.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$82.4 MYR 336

-9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$71.1 MYR 290

25.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$143 MYR 581

587.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$104 MYR 425

264.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$576 MYR 2,347

196.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$234 MYR 955

358.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,963 MYR 7,998

100.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,197 MYR 4,877

414.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,012 MYR 4,122

-27.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.17

174.58%

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 Rawang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Rawang

$104 14.2% 72.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Rawang

$262 35.6% 2.8% $7.2

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Rawang

$115 15.7% 42.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Rawang

$75 10.2% 45.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Rawang

$112 15.2% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Rawang

$47 6.4% 29.6% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 62.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $143 in Rawang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Rawang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $20 in Rawang. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $262 in Rawang – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Rawang 17,190 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,103 in Rawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $735 in Rawang. That makes Rawang about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Rawang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $735 in Rawang to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.