Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulu Tiram and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulu Tiram: $938 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Ulu Tiram
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Ulu Tiram Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ulu Tiram

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$938

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Ulu Tiram vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulu Tiram $938
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,412 per month in Ulu Tiram vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulu Tiram $1,412
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Ulu Tiram vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ulu Tiram $1,885
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Ulu Tiram is about 22% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ulu Tiram and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ulu Tiram 31% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.59

$10.92 MX$205

-67.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.21 MYR 78.2

$43.37 MX$813

-55.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.24

$11.78 MX$221

-57.81%

Cappuccino

$2.92 MYR 11.90

$3.81 MX$71.4

-23.36%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$1.28 MX$24.03

-33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.78 MX$14.67

-47.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 MYR 18.30

$3.17 MX$59.3

41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 MYR 26.03

$4.93 MX$92.5

29.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 7.02

$1.41 MX$26.35

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$2.22 MX$41.54

-53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.03

$1.42 MX$26.56

4.23%

Eggs

$1.80 MYR 7.33

$2.52 MX$47.27

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 MYR 39.17

$7.26 MX$136

32.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 MYR 17.21

$7.70 MX$144

-45.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.57 MYR 38.95

$12.69 MX$238

-24.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.44

$2.78 MX$52.2

18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.90

$1.37 MX$25.64

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 MYR 11.25

$2.55 MX$47.80

8.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.68

$2.12 MX$39.78

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$1.94 MX$36.32

-25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.78

$1.89 MX$35.34

-11.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MYR 5.65

$1.15 MX$21.49

20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$1.18 MX$22.09

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.48

$4.30 MX$80.5

Wine (Bottle)

$17.28 MYR 70.3

$9.95 MX$186

73.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 MYR 12.04

$1.58 MX$29.67

87.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.65

$2.67 MX$50.1

16.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MYR 3.25

$0.55 MX$10.37

45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.32 MYR 54.2

$26.62 MX$499

-49.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$4.97 MX$93.1

-81.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$3.33 MX$62.4

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 MYR 35.71

$5.36 MX$100

63.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.51

$1.44 MX$27.06

-40.28%

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

$43.8K MYR 178.3K

$20.7K MX$387.3K

112.01%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

$23.5K MX$439.7K

51.30%

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

$53.5 MYR 218

$84.8 MX$1,589

-36.93%

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

$8.46 MYR 34.42

$23.41 MX$439

-63.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$28.66 MX$537

-0.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 MYR 151

$57.1 MX$1,069

-34.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 MYR 28.19

$28.91 MX$542

-76.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 MYR 19.53

$5.14 MX$96.3

-6.61%

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

$241 MYR 980

$207 MX$3,871

16.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,550 MYR 18.5K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

15.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MYR 224

$43.35 MX$812

26.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.99 MYR 69.2

$41.44 MX$777

-59.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 MYR 320

$74.2 MX$1,390

6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 MYR 354

$89.3 MX$1,672

-2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 MYR 1,844

$980 MX$18.4K

-53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 MYR 1,282

$381 MX$7,136

-17.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,887

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 MYR 2,227

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-49.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 MYR 8,161

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-49.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,196 MYR 4,867

$6,158 MX$115.4K

-80.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$869 MYR 3,535

$735 MX$13.8K

18.25%

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 Ulu Tiram: 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

Ulu Tiram

$315 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 20.9% $66

Groceries & Markets

Ulu Tiram

$241 25.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 5.7% $14

Eating Out

Ulu Tiram

$119 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 70.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Ulu Tiram

$107 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 4.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulu Tiram

$90 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 51.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ulu Tiram

$47 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 44% $21

Getting Around

Ulu Tiram

$19 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 161% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Ulu Tiram 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 18% higher in Ulu Tiram, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Ulu Tiram versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $255 – making Ulu Tiram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Ulu Tiram

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

13:59 1:59 PM

13 h behind Ulu Tiram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,350

149,923

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulu Tiram Playa del Carmen 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulu Tiram
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Ulu Tiram 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 Ulu Tiram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $453 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $938 in Ulu Tiram and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ulu Tiram about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Ulu Tiram. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $938 in Ulu Tiram and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Ulu Tiram to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Ulu Tiram is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 22% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.