Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index
57

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

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Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Polonnaruwa and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $510 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $510
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $829 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $829
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,148 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $1,148
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Polonnaruwa is about 58% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$10.67 MX$199

-63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.28 LKR 8,410

$43.80 MX$815

-42.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 LKR 2,435

$11.79 MX$219

-37.91%

Cappuccino

$2.56 LKR 850

$3.79 MX$70.5

-32.45%

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

$0.69 LKR 228

$1.30 MX$24.14

-46.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.83 MX$15.51

-67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 721

$3.15 MX$58.6

-31.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 990

$4.93 MX$91.8

-39.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$1.41 MX$26.22

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$2.20 MX$40.86

-75.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.47 MX$27.40

-44.90%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 567

$2.50 MX$46.47

-32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 LKR 5,069

$7.29 MX$136

109.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 LKR 1,639

$7.95 MX$148

-37.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

$12.86 MX$239

-40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.48 LKR 2,156

$2.90 MX$53.9

123.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.38 MX$25.74

-41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,414

$2.49 MX$46.36

70.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 423

$2.03 MX$37.78

-37.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$2.02 MX$37.69

-48.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.90 MX$35.42

-59.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 LKR 419

$1.14 MX$21.30

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$1.24 MX$23.06

-66.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 LKR 3,358

$4.27 MX$79.5

136.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.57 LKR 4,513

$9.81 MX$183

38.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 622

$1.59 MX$29.51

17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 990

$2.75 MX$51.1

8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$4.76 MX$88.6

-92.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 102

$3.25 MX$60.5

-90.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 285

$5.39 MX$100

-84.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.53 MX$28.44

-13.73%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

109.45%

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

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

95.75%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$83.5 MX$1,554

-30.55%

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

$4.27 LKR 1,419

$23.19 MX$431

-81.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 LKR 6,772

$27.61 MX$514

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,532

$5.00 MX$93.1

-8.00%

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

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

$207 MX$3,854

-80.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

227.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.01 LKR 5,989

$43.45 MX$809

-58.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 LKR 5,761

$42.54 MX$792

-59.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

$72.8 MX$1,354

8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-53.55%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

11.45

9.17%

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 6.2% $15

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 91.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 62.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 59.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 621% $57

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2555% $49

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

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 $25 in Polonnaruwa versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $257 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

08:33 8:33 AM

10 h 30 min behind Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Polonnaruwa Playa del Carmen 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Polonnaruwa
Playa del Carmen

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

Polonnaruwa vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $765 per month in Polonnaruwa and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $510 in Polonnaruwa and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Polonnaruwa about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $40 per month in Polonnaruwa and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Polonnaruwa 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 $510 in Polonnaruwa to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.