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 33.8% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 45.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 19.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 77% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$3.10 MYR 12.23
274.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$19.22 MYR 75.9
122.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$4.12 MYR 16.27
157.28%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.69 MYR 10.64
33.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.73 MYR 2.90
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.36 MYR 1.43
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$3.56 MYR 14.06
-14.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$4.30 MYR 16.98
6.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.83 MYR 7.22
-20.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$0.97 MYR 3.81
88.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.49 MYR 5.90
8.05%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.15 MYR 8.50
18.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$13.93 MYR 55.0
-38.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$5.08 MYR 20.05
66.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$8.30 MYR 32.78
30.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.92 MYR 11.52
-6.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.46 MYR 5.79
2.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$2.56 MYR 10.12
-24.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.24 MYR 4.91
74.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.19 MYR 4.68
55.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.34 MYR 5.31
63.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.97 MYR 3.84
10.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.52 MYR 2.05
107.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.24 MYR 16.75
-4.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$19.00 MYR 75.0
-44.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$2.60 MYR 10.26
-36.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.97 MYR 15.69
-35.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.69 MYR 2.72
-18.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$15.02 MYR 59.3
74.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$0.95 MYR 3.76
230.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$0.55 MYR 2.16
330.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$6.99 MYR 27.63
-53.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$0.50 MYR 1.96
162.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$34.0K MYR 134.3K
-10.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$27.4K MYR 108.4K
-13.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$41.42 MYR 164
100.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$10.06 MYR 39.73
120.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$29.86 MYR 118
-1.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$38.36 MYR 152
33.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$5.82 MYR 23.00
221.13%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.19 MYR 24.43
-21.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$214 MYR 844
-7.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$6,149 MYR 24.3K
-15.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$48.45 MYR 191
-25.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$34.94 MYR 138
12.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$62.3 MYR 246
28.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$48.82 MYR 193
79.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$358 MYR 1,415
168.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$263 MYR 1,038
83.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$575 MYR 2,269
186.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$473 MYR 1,870
151.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$1,530 MYR 6,044
158.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,229 MYR 4,856
429.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Shah Alam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$1,254 MYR 4,954
-42.09%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: April 11, 2026

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

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