Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $954 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $954 per month in Sarawak vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarawak $954
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,408 per month in Sarawak vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarawak $1,408
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Sarawak vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarawak $1,862
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sarawak is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sarawak and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sarawak 30% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.60

$10.92 MX$204

-67.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.96 MYR 81.3

$43.37 MX$808

-53.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.16

$11.78 MX$220

-60.10%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.06

$3.81 MX$71.0

-22.31%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$1.28 MX$23.90

-39.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.78 MX$14.59

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 MYR 16.08

$3.17 MX$59.0

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 MYR 18.63

$4.93 MX$92.0

-7.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MYR 7.13

$1.41 MX$26.22

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$2.22 MX$41.33

-45.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.42 MX$26.42

-4.23%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.20

$2.52 MX$47.03

-10.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.46 MYR 58.9

$7.26 MX$135

99.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 MYR 16.58

$7.70 MX$143

-47.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.13

$12.69 MX$237

-22.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MYR 11.81

$2.78 MX$51.9

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.89

$1.37 MX$25.50

5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.72

$2.55 MX$47.55

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$2.12 MX$39.58

-38.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.94 MX$36.13

-36.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.89 MX$35.16

-34.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$1.15 MX$21.37

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.89

$1.18 MX$21.98

-61.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MYR 17.41

$4.30 MX$80.1

-0.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MYR 68.7

$9.95 MX$185

69.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.94

$1.58 MX$29.52

85.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MYR 16.40

$2.67 MX$49.79

50.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.55 MX$10.31

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.56 MYR 43.04

$26.62 MX$496

-60.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$4.97 MX$92.6

-77.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$3.33 MX$62.1

-84.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 MYR 28.22

$5.36 MX$99.8

29.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.44 MX$26.92

-46.53%

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

$50.4K MYR 205.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

143.74%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.5K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

69.94%

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

$52.9 MYR 216

$84.8 MX$1,581

-37.58%

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

$10.66 MYR 43.43

$23.41 MX$436

-54.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.13 MYR 119

$28.66 MX$534

1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 MYR 163

$57.1 MX$1,063

-29.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.22 MYR 29.42

$28.91 MX$539

-75.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 MYR 22.83

$5.14 MX$95.8

8.95%

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

$241 MYR 981

$207 MX$3,851

16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

77.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MYR 237

$43.35 MX$808

33.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.97 MYR 122

$41.44 MX$772

-27.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 354

$74.2 MX$1,383

17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 MYR 309

$89.3 MX$1,664

-14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,669

$980 MX$18.3K

-58.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,297

$381 MX$7,099

-16.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MYR 2,870

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-58.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 2,000

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-54.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,170 MYR 8,841

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-44.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,323 MYR 5,393

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-78.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 MYR 1,420

$735 MX$13.7K

-52.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.45

-64.54%

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

Last update for Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarawak

$318 33.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 19.6% $62

Groceries & Markets

Sarawak

$249 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 2.2% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sarawak

$113 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.1% $1.2

Eating Out

Sarawak

$112 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 81% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarawak

$93 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sarawak

$51 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 31.3% $16

Getting Around

Sarawak

$17 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 193% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Sarawak versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Sarawak versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $255 – making Sarawak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

13:50 1:50 PM

13 h behind Sarawak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarawak Playa del Carmen 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarawak
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Sarawak and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $954 in Sarawak and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $241 per month in Sarawak 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 Sarawak, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Sarawak 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 $954 in Sarawak to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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