Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subang Jaya and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,288 in Subang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Subang Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Subang Jaya
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Subang Jaya Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Subang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,288

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,288 per month in Subang Jaya vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subang Jaya $1,288
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,775 per month in Subang Jaya vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subang Jaya $1,775
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,262 per month in Subang Jaya vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Subang Jaya $2,262
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Subang Jaya costs about 7% more than Playa del Carmen.

Both Subang Jaya and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Subang Jaya 5% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.81

$10.92 MX$204

-66.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.42 MYR 79.2

$43.37 MX$808

-55.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 MYR 18.75

$11.78 MX$220

-60.95%

Cappuccino

$2.92 MYR 11.90

$3.81 MX$71.0

-23.36%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$1.28 MX$23.90

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.50

$0.78 MX$14.59

-52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.56

$3.17 MX$59.0

28.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MYR 18.05

$4.93 MX$92.0

-10.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MYR 7.32

$1.41 MX$26.22

27.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$2.22 MX$41.33

-52.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.19

$1.42 MX$26.42

24.65%

Eggs

$2.25 MYR 9.19

$2.52 MX$47.03

-10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.4

$7.26 MX$135

90.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$7.70 MX$143

-42.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 MYR 35.79

$12.69 MX$237

-30.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.53

$2.78 MX$51.9

10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.45

$1.37 MX$25.50

33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 MYR 9.02

$2.55 MX$47.55

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.93

$2.12 MX$39.58

-31.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$1.94 MX$36.13

-44.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$1.89 MX$35.16

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.44

$1.15 MX$21.37

-5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$1.18 MX$21.98

-54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.84

$4.30 MX$80.1

1.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 MYR 76.6

$9.95 MX$185

88.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.16

$1.58 MX$29.52

89.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 MYR 19.84

$2.67 MX$49.79

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$0.55 MX$10.31

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.29 MYR 99.0

$26.62 MX$496

-8.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.64

$3.33 MX$62.1

-87.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 MYR 20.10

$5.36 MX$99.8

-8.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.56

$1.44 MX$26.92

-39.58%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

113.15%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.8K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

49.37%

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

$37.37 MYR 152

$84.8 MX$1,581

-55.93%

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

$10.06 MYR 40.99

$23.41 MX$436

-57.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.58 MYR 116

$28.66 MX$534

-0.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.43 MYR 128

$57.1 MX$1,063

-44.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.51 MYR 10.23

$28.91 MX$539

-91.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$5.14 MX$95.8

-5.25%

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

$396 MYR 1,615

$207 MX$3,851

91.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

175.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 MYR 241

$43.35 MX$808

36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 MYR 144

$41.44 MX$772

-14.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 MYR 342

$74.2 MX$1,383

13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 MYR 289

$89.3 MX$1,664

-20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 MYR 3,469

$980 MX$18.3K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 MYR 2,701

$381 MX$7,099

74.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 MYR 4,350

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MYR 3,693

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-15.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,344 MYR 9,551

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-40.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,876 MYR 7,643

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-69.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 MYR 3,800

$735 MX$13.7K

26.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

11.45

-64.72%

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

Last update for Subang Jaya: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Subang Jaya

$663 51.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.6% $282

Groceries & Markets

Subang Jaya

$255 19.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Subang Jaya

$112 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Subang Jaya

$111 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 81.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Subang Jaya

$76 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 80% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Subang Jaya

$41 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 63.6% $26

Getting Around

Subang Jaya

$29 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 76.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $851 in Subang Jaya 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 run about 27% higher in Subang Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Subang Jaya versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $255 – making Subang Jaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Subang Jaya

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

13 h behind Subang Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

902,086

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 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

Subang Jaya Playa del Carmen 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Subang Jaya
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

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

Subang Jaya costs about 7% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,932 per month in Subang Jaya 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 Subang Jaya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $851 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,288 in Subang Jaya and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Subang Jaya and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,288 in Subang Jaya and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,288 in Subang Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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