Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Weligama

For one person, living is cheaper in Weligama: $512 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Weligama, Sri Lanka
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Weligama
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$512
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Weligama

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $512 in Weligama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Weligama $512

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $832 in Weligama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Weligama $832

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,151 in Weligama, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Weligama $1,151

Playa del Carmen costs about 135% more than Weligama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Weligama are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Weligama 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$3.72 LKR 1,238
186.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$25.11 LKR 8,353
74.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$7.73 LKR 2,571
52.52%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.57 LKR 856
47.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.67 LKR 223
94.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.25 LKR 82.9
232.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.25 LKR 749
40.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$2.96 LKR 985
66.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.58 LKR 525
-10.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$0.54 LKR 179
307.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$0.77 LKR 255
90.91%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$1.70 LKR 567
47.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$15.12 LKR 5,028
-51.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$5.02 LKR 1,670
58.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$7.51 LKR 2,499
71.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$6.75 LKR 2,244
-57.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$0.89 LKR 295
55.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$4.25 LKR 1,412
-41.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$1.32 LKR 438
53.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.05 LKR 349
92.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$0.81 LKR 271
134.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.20 LKR 399
-5.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.46 LKR 152
169.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$10.14 LKR 3,373
-57.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$13.46 LKR 4,477
-27.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.95 LKR 650
-18.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.87 LKR 953
-4.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$0.40 LKR 133
1090.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.31 LKR 102
948.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$0.93 LKR 309
479.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.38 LKR 458
10.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$43.7K LKR 14.5M
-51.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$45.1K LKR 15.0M
-48.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$56.8 LKR 18.9K
46.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$4.19 LKR 1,392
453.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$21.11 LKR 7,023
30.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$4.44 LKR 1,478
12.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$39.98 LKR 13.3K
417.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$17.4K LKR 5.8M
-69.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$17.72 LKR 5,895
145.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$17.50 LKR 5,821
143.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$80.2 LKR 26.7K
-9.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$41.15 LKR 13.7K
114.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Weligama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
12.5
-8.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Weligama: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Weligama
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Weligama
$244 5.2% $13
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Weligama
$105 47.7% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Weligama
$82 38.9% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Weligama
$70 36.7% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Weligama
$8.9 * 86.6% $58
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Weligama
$1.9 * 96.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $25 in Weligama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $244 – making Weligama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇰 Weligama
🕒 Local time
03:58 3:58 AM
14:28 2:28 PM
10 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
20,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Weligama 16,760 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Weligama

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 Weligama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Weligama cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $768 in Weligama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Weligama?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $512 in Weligama. That makes Weligama about 57% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Weligama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Weligama?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Weligama, where all-in costs run around $512, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Weligama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Weligama costs $512 versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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