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 28.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 31.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shah Alam is 28.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 MYR 12.61
$11.99 MX$227
-75.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.48 MYR 77.9
$42.47 MX$803
-56.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.35 MYR 18.33
$10.47 MX$198
-58.45%
Cappuccino
$2.7 MYR 11.41
$3.6 MX$68.2
-25.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 MYR 3
$1.44 MX$27.16
-50.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 MYR 1.65
$0.89 MX$16.79
-56.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.59 MYR 15.15
$3.09 MX$58.5
16.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 MYR 18.45
$4.58 MX$86.6
-4.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 MYR 7.87
$1.38 MX$26.04
35.51%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 MYR 4.02
$1.85 MX$34.9
-48.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 MYR 6.27
$1.57 MX$29.68
-5.10%
Eggs
$2.13 MYR 8.99
$2.55 MX$48.3
-16.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.22 MYR 60
$8.61 MX$163
65.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.05 MYR 21.29
$8.54 MX$161
-40.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.11 MYR 34.21
$10.98 MX$208
-26.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MYR 11.77
$2.72 MX$51.4
2.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MYR 6.35
$1.51 MX$28.57
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 MYR 10.35
$1.88 MX$35.63
30.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 MYR 5.24
$2.19 MX$41.42
-43.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.15 MYR 4.83
$1.87 MX$35.3
-38.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 MYR 5.85
$2.19 MX$41.37
-36.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 MYR 3.84
$1.07 MX$20.23
-14.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 MYR 2.19
$1.09 MX$20.64
-52.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 MYR 17.61
$3.96 MX$74.9
5.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.09 MYR 76.3
$8.86 MX$167
104.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.7 MYR 11.38
$1.72 MX$32.53
56.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MYR 16.53
$2.61 MX$49.37
50.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 MYR 3.08
$0.52 MX$9.74
40.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.15 MYR 63.9
$26.59 MX$503
-43.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.97 MYR 4.07
$3.24 MX$61.2
-70.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 MYR 2.29
$2.38 MX$44.94
-77.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.89 MYR 29.07
$3.11 MX$58.7
121.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.5 MYR 2.1
$1.31 MX$24.85
-61.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.9K MYR 142.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
11.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K MYR 117.6K
$24K MX$453.6K
16.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.07 MYR 173
$84.2 MX$1,592
-51.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.23 MYR 43.14
$22.14 MX$419
-53.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.49 MYR 129
$30.14 MX$570
1.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.06 MYR 165
$52 MX$983
-24.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.98 MYR 25.24
$18.72 MX$354
-68.06%
Cinema Ticket
$6.17 MYR 26.02
$5.07 MX$95.9
21.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 MYR 882
$200 MX$3,787
4.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,113 MYR 25.8K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
14.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.07 MYR 207
$35.74 MX$676
37.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.66 MYR 146
$39.8 MX$753
-12.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.7 MYR 260
$79 MX$1,493
-21.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.64 MYR 205
$88.4 MX$1,671
-44.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$364 MYR 1,536
$965 MX$18.3K
-62.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$262 MYR 1,105
$474 MX$8,968
-44.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$575 MYR 2,425
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-65.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$477 MYR 2,010
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-60.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,457 MYR 6,145
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-52.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,158 MYR 4,883
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-84.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shah Alam
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,199 MYR 5,057
$792 MX$15K
51.46%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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