Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sungai Petani

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $804 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Sungai Petani
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Sungai Petani Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sungai Petani

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Sungai Petani

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $804 in Sungai Petani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sungai Petani $804

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,203 in Sungai Petani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sungai Petani $1,203

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,602 in Sungai Petani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sungai Petani $1,602

Playa del Carmen costs about 50% more than Sungai Petani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sungai Petani are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Sungai Petani 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.51 MYR 10.19

335.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$17.12 MYR 69.5

153.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.49 MYR 18.23

162.36%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.47 MYR 10.03

54.25%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.75 MYR 3.06

70.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.39 MYR 1.56

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.53 MYR 14.30

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.44 MYR 18.03

11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.79 MYR 7.28

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.10 MYR 4.47

101.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.69 MYR 6.85

-15.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.26 MYR 9.18

11.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$9.98 MYR 40.49

-27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$4.52 MYR 18.34

70.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$8.89 MYR 36.06

42.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.02 MYR 12.24

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.62 MYR 6.56

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.71 MYR 11.01

-5.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.40 MYR 5.68

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.09 MYR 4.44

77.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.07 MYR 4.35

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$1.13 MYR 4.60

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.59 MYR 2.38

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$4.31 MYR 17.48

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$19.25 MYR 78.1

-48.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.86 MYR 11.61

-44.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$5.15 MYR 20.90

-48.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$12.26 MYR 49.74

117.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.75 MYR 7.08

184.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.38 MYR 1.53

776.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$7.49 MYR 30.38

-28.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.48 MYR 1.97

200.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$44.6K MYR 181.1K

-53.70%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$35.0K MYR 141.9K

-32.92%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$36.69 MYR 149

131.10%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$9.93 MYR 40.28

135.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$19.96 MYR 81.0

43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$24.41 MYR 99.0

133.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$14.42 MYR 58.5

100.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$2.86 MYR 11.62

79.72%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$397 MYR 1,609

-47.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$10.6K MYR 42.8K

-62.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$59.4 MYR 241

-27.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$34.60 MYR 140

19.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$74.4 MYR 302

-0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$69.8 MYR 283

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$180 MYR 731

443.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$241 MYR 976

58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$480 MYR 1,947

255.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$365 MYR 1,481

194.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$1,202 MYR 4,877

227.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$480 MYR 1,948

1182.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$490 MYR 1,986

50.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.04

183.42%

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 Sungai Petani: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sungai Petani

$241 29.9% 36.8% $140

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sungai Petani

$247 30.7% 3.1% $8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sungai Petani

$94 11.7% 53.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sungai Petani

$67 8.3% 51.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sungai Petani

$107 13.3% 4.1% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sungai Petani

$30 3.8% 55.2% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sungai Petani

$19 2.3% 63% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $180 in Sungai Petani. 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 50% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $17 in Sungai Petani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $247 – making Sungai Petani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇾 Sungai Petani

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

02:25 2:25 AM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

545,053

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sungai Petani 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sungai Petani

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 Sungai Petani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 50%, 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 $1,206 in Sungai Petani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sungai Petani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $180 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $804 in Sungai Petani. That makes Sungai Petani about 33% cheaper.

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

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sungai Petani, where all-in costs run around $804, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sungai Petani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $804 in Sungai Petani to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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