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 32.8% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 48.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 45% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 70.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$3.10 MYR 12.22
282.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$19.09 MYR 75.2
120.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$4.36 MYR 17.20
146.56%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.70 MYR 10.63
28.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.67 MYR 2.63
116.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.40 MYR 1.56
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$3.63 MYR 14.29
-15.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$4.45 MYR 17.53
-0.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.88 MYR 7.40
-27.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.00 MYR 3.94
87.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.48 MYR 5.85
4.05%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.07 MYR 8.16
20.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$13.99 MYR 55.1
-38.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$5.10 MYR 20.11
69.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$8.35 MYR 32.90
31.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.93 MYR 11.56
-6.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.45 MYR 5.73
-1.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$2.58 MYR 10.16
-27.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.26 MYR 4.98
72.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.18 MYR 4.66
59.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.34 MYR 5.28
67.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.95 MYR 3.76
12.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.53 MYR 2.08
101.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.25 MYR 16.74
-2.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$19.61 MYR 77.3
-47.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$2.71 MYR 10.69
-38.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$3.92 MYR 15.43
-36.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.69 MYR 2.70
-20.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$15.40 MYR 60.7
72.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.97 MYR 3.82
231.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$0.54 MYR 2.14
359.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$7.28 MYR 28.69
-57.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$0.50 MYR 1.96
152.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$33.9K MYR 133.5K
-9.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$27.4K MYR 107.8K
-12.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$41.23 MYR 162
100.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$10.06 MYR 39.64
121.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$30.59 MYR 121
-1.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$37.83 MYR 149
35.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$5.97 MYR 23.53
206.37%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.17 MYR 24.29
-19.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$214 MYR 844
-6.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$6,253 MYR 24.6K
-15.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$49.91 MYR 197
-28.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$34.95 MYR 138
13.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$60.4 MYR 238
33.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$49.52 MYR 195
78.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$372 MYR 1,466
160.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$268 MYR 1,058
79.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$586 MYR 2,310
172.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$488 MYR 1,922
142.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$1,561 MYR 6,151
159.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$1,215 MYR 4,789
436.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$1,277 MYR 5,032
-40.78%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities