Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $707 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Learn more

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $707 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $707

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,096 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,096

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,485 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,485

Playa del Carmen costs about 70% more than Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.84 LKR 1,271

182.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$25.15 LKR 8,331

75.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.65 LKR 2,533

53.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.57 LKR 852

43.19%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.73 LKR 241

83.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.25 LKR 81.8

228.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.22 LKR 735

37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.98 LKR 989

65.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.27 LKR 421

15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.58 LKR 191

282.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.74 LKR 246

100.00%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.72 LKR 568

44.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.81 LKR 4,576

-45.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.41 LKR 1,462

80.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$5.29 LKR 1,754

137.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$6.21 LKR 2,058

-55.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.84 LKR 279

70.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.36 LKR 1,445

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.20 LKR 397

78.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$0.87 LKR 288

132.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.82 LKR 270

142.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.88 LKR 291

29.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.46 LKR 151

160.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$9.15 LKR 3,031

-53.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.73 LKR 4,216

-21.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.95 LKR 645

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.02 LKR 1,001

-11.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.31 LKR 103

1480.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.38 LKR 125

802.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$0.88 LKR 292

511.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.15 LKR 381

26.09%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-51.35%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-43.84%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$45.62 LKR 15.1K

87.11%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$4.36 LKR 1,445

438.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$12.16 LKR 4,028

133.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$14.89 LKR 4,933

317.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.08 LKR 1,020

65.58%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$37.61 LKR 12.5K

434.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$896 LKR 296.9K

340.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$18.40 LKR 6,093

141.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$16.89 LKR 5,593

144.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

-8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$41.35 LKR 13.7K

116.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$307 LKR 101.7K

218.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$224 LKR 74.1K

66.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$445 LKR 147.4K

277.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$382 LKR 126.4K

187.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$692 LKR 229.3K

470.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$531 LKR 175.9K

1055.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$298 LKR 98.8K

147.36%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$224 31.7% 40% $149

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.4% 14.2% $37

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$105 14.9% 47.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$62 8.8% 54.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$70 9.9% 37.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3% 70.9% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2.2 * 0.3% 95.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. 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 147% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $222 – making Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

115,826 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 70%, 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 $1,060 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $707 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. That's a gap of about 70%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $37.61 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.