Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Shah Alam is 24.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 32.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shah Alam is 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 41.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.10 MYR 12.22
$11.85 MX$209
-73.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.09 MYR 75.2
$42.16 MX$744
-54.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.36 MYR 17.20
$10.75 MX$190
-59.44%
Cappuccino
$2.70 MYR 10.63
$3.47 MX$61.3
-22.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 MYR 2.63
$1.45 MX$25.65
-53.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MYR 1.56
$0.90 MX$15.93
-55.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 MYR 14.29
$3.05 MX$53.9
19.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 MYR 17.53
$4.42 MX$77.9
0.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 MYR 7.40
$1.37 MX$24.17
37.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 MYR 3.94
$1.87 MX$33.05
-46.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MYR 5.85
$1.54 MX$27.25
-3.90%
Eggs
$2.07 MYR 8.16
$2.50 MX$44.18
-17.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.99 MYR 55.1
$8.61 MX$152
62.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.10 MYR 20.11
$8.63 MX$152
-40.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.35 MYR 32.90
$11.02 MX$195
-24.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 MYR 11.56
$2.75 MX$48.53
6.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 MYR 5.73
$1.43 MX$25.21
1.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.58 MYR 10.16
$1.87 MX$33.05
37.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 MYR 4.98
$2.17 MX$38.26
-41.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 MYR 4.66
$1.88 MX$33.23
-37.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 MYR 5.28
$2.25 MX$39.65
-40.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MYR 3.76
$1.07 MX$18.85
-11.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 MYR 2.08
$1.07 MX$18.95
-50.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.25 MYR 16.74
$4.15 MX$73.3
2.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.61 MYR 77.3
$10.34 MX$182
89.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 MYR 10.69
$1.68 MX$29.64
61.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MYR 15.43
$2.48 MX$43.84
58.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MYR 2.70
$0.55 MX$9.80
25.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.40 MYR 60.7
$26.53 MX$468
-41.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.97 MYR 3.82
$3.22 MX$56.8
-69.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 MYR 2.14
$2.48 MX$43.80
-78.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.28 MYR 28.69
$3.11 MX$54.9
134.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.50 MYR 1.96
$1.26 MX$22.16
-60.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K MYR 133.5K
$30.7K MX$541.1K
10.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K MYR 107.8K
$24.0K MX$424.3K
13.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.23 MYR 162
$82.5 MX$1,456
-50.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.06 MYR 39.64
$22.29 MX$393
-54.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.59 MYR 121
$30.02 MX$530
1.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.83 MYR 149
$51.4 MX$908
-26.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.97 MYR 23.53
$18.29 MX$323
-67.36%
Cinema Ticket
$6.17 MYR 24.29
$4.98 MX$88.0
23.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$214 MYR 844
$200 MX$3,530
7.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,253 MYR 24.6K
$5,304 MX$93.6K
17.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.91 MYR 197
$35.71 MX$630
39.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 MYR 138
$39.56 MX$698
-11.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.4 MYR 238
$80.6 MX$1,422
-25.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.52 MYR 195
$88.3 MX$1,559
-43.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$372 MYR 1,466
$969 MX$17.1K
-61.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$268 MYR 1,058
$482 MX$8,511
-44.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$586 MYR 2,310
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-63.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$488 MYR 1,922
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-58.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,561 MYR 6,151
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-61.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,215 MYR 4,789
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-81.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,277 MYR 5,032
$756 MX$13.4K
68.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.16
11.42
-63.57%

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

Last update for Shah Alam: March 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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