Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ragama 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 Ragama and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $502 per month in Ragama vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ragama $502
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $816 per month in Ragama vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ragama $816
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,129 per month in Ragama vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ragama $1,129
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Ragama and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ragama 63% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$10.92 MX$204

-64.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 LKR 8,390

$43.37 MX$808

-41.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$11.78 MX$220

-37.01%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 815

$3.81 MX$71.0

-35.70%

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

$0.73 LKR 243

$1.28 MX$23.90

-42.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.78 MX$14.59

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 750

$3.17 MX$59.0

-28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 1,000

$4.93 MX$92.0

-38.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 LKR 474

$1.41 MX$26.22

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 LKR 165

$2.22 MX$41.33

-77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.42 MX$26.42

-52.11%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.52 MX$47.03

-34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 LKR 4,660

$7.26 MX$135

93.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 LKR 1,603

$7.70 MX$143

-37.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,460

$12.69 MX$237

-41.69%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 LKR 2,180

$2.78 MX$51.9

135.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.37 MX$25.50

-40.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 LKR 1,435

$2.55 MX$47.55

69.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 437

$2.12 MX$39.58

-37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.94 MX$36.13

-46.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.89 MX$35.16

-59.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.15 MX$21.37

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$1.18 MX$21.98

-61.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,380

$4.30 MX$80.1

136.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 LKR 4,304

$9.95 MX$185

30.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$1.58 MX$29.52

20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.67 MX$49.79

12.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$4.97 MX$92.6

-92.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$3.33 MX$62.1

-89.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$5.36 MX$99.8

-83.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.44 MX$26.92

-6.94%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

113.11%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

70.20%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$84.8 MX$1,581

-31.58%

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

$4.24 LKR 1,409

$23.41 MX$436

-81.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 LKR 6,927

$28.66 MX$534

-27.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,471

$5.14 MX$95.8

-14.01%

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

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

$207 MX$3,851

-81.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-69.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 LKR 6,126

$43.35 MX$808

-57.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,526

$41.44 MX$772

-59.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$74.2 MX$1,383

7.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-52.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

11.45

10.83%

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

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ragama

$234 46.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9% $21

Eating Out

Ragama

$104 20.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 94.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$83 16.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 64.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$70 14%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 58.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 661% $58

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2291% $48

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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 Ragama versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $255 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

17:58 5:58 PM

10 h 30 min behind Ragama

🌤 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 = 2.7 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ragama Playa del Carmen 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ragama
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $753 per month in Ragama and $1,806 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 $502 in Ragama and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ragama about 58% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Ragama 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ragama 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 $502 in Ragama to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.