Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shah Alam Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Shah Alam

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 40.2% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 46.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 40.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 77.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$2.99 MYR 12.61
301.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$18.48 MYR 77.9
129.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.35 MYR 18.33
140.69%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.7 MYR 11.41
33.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.71 MYR 3
102.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.39 MYR 1.65
128.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$3.59 MYR 15.15
-13.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$4.38 MYR 18.45
4.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.87 MYR 7.87
-26.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$0.95 MYR 4.02
94.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.49 MYR 6.27
5.37%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.13 MYR 8.99
19.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$14.22 MYR 60
-39.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.05 MYR 21.29
69.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$8.11 MYR 34.21
35.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.79 MYR 11.77
-2.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.51 MYR 6.35
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.45 MYR 10.35
-23.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.24 MYR 5.24
76.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.15 MYR 4.83
62.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.39 MYR 5.85
57.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.91 MYR 3.84
17.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.52 MYR 2.19
109.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.18 MYR 17.61
-5.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$18.09 MYR 76.3
-51.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.7 MYR 11.38
-36.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.92 MYR 16.53
-33.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.73 MYR 3.08
-28.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$15.15 MYR 63.9
75.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$0.97 MYR 4.07
234.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.54 MYR 2.29
340.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$6.89 MYR 29.07
-54.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.5 MYR 2.1
162.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$33.9K MYR 142.8K
-10.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$27.9K MYR 117.6K
-13.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$41.07 MYR 173
105.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$10.23 MYR 43.14
116.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$30.49 MYR 129
-1.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$39.06 MYR 165
33.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$5.98 MYR 25.24
213.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$6.17 MYR 26.02
-17.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$209 MYR 882
-4.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$6,113 MYR 25.8K
-12.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$49.07 MYR 207
-27.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$34.66 MYR 146
14.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$61.7 MYR 260
28.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$48.64 MYR 205
81.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$364 MYR 1,536
165.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$262 MYR 1,105
81.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$575 MYR 2,425
187.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$477 MYR 2,010
152.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,457 MYR 6,145
111.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,158 MYR 4,883
550.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$1,199 MYR 5,057
-33.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.16
174.52%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Shah Alam: October 27, 2025

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