Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tawau Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tawau

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 67.9% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 50.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 9.4% more expensive than Tawau without rent, and 77.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$3.6 MYR 15.19
233.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$19.17 MYR 80.9
121.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$4.02 MYR 16.96
160.45%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.31 MYR 9.75
55.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.74 MYR 3.11
94.59%
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
$2.41 MYR 10.16
28.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.36 MYR 14.17
36.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.56 MYR 6.56
-11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.3 MYR 5.49
42.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.73 MYR 7.3
-9.25%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.05 MYR 8.63
24.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$15.13 MYR 63.8
-43.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$4.48 MYR 18.91
90.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$9.58 MYR 40.4
14.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.86 MYR 12.06
-4.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.48 MYR 6.22
2.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.6 MYR 10.98
-27.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.44 MYR 6.05
52.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.18 MYR 4.96
58.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.33 MYR 5.6
64.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.04 MYR 4.4
2.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.55 MYR 2.33
98.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.3 MYR 18.13
-7.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$14.44 MYR 60.9
-38.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.88 MYR 12.13
-40.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.94 MYR 12.39
-11.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.68 MYR 2.85
-23.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$11.97 MYR 50.5
122.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.16 MYR 4.9
179.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.98 MYR 4.15
142.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$5.77 MYR 24.33
-46.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.49 MYR 2.09
167.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$35.7K MYR 150.5K
-15.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$31K MYR 130.6K
-22.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$43.49 MYR 183
93.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$9.16 MYR 38.65
141.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$28.84 MYR 122
4.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$37.56 MYR 158
38.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$5.93 MYR 24.99
215.68%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$2.91 MYR 12.27
74.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$191 MYR 804
5.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$7,045 MYR 29.7K
-24.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$59.8 MYR 252
-40.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$27.2 MYR 115
46.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$72.8 MYR 307
8.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$50.5 MYR 213
75.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$387 MYR 1,633
149.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$266 MYR 1,123
78.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$646 MYR 2,724
155.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$478 MYR 2,015
151.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,845 MYR 7,781
67.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,106 MYR 4,664
580.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tawau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
4.07
180.59%

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 Tawau: October 26, 2025

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