Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Battambang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $661 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
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Battambang Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$661

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in Battambang versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Battambang $661
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Battambang versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Battambang $1,046
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Battambang versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Battambang $1,431
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Battambang costs roughly 45% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Battambang 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ៛9,886

$10.92 MX$205

-77.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.26 ៛74.4K

$43.37 MX$814

-57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 ៛25.7K

$11.78 MX$221

-46.43%

Cappuccino

$1.37 ៛5,564

$3.81 MX$71.5

-64.04%

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

$0.67 ៛2,718

$1.28 MX$24.07

-47.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ៛1,938

$0.78 MX$14.70

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.84 ៛3,419

$3.17 MX$59.5

-73.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ៛9,106

$4.93 MX$92.7

-54.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ៛9,176

$1.41 MX$26.40

59.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ៛4,130

$2.22 MX$41.62

-54.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ៛4,148

$1.42 MX$26.61

-28.17%

Eggs

$1.72 ៛7,023

$2.52 MX$47.36

-31.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 ៛58.0K

$7.26 MX$136

96.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ៛9,890

$7.70 MX$144

-68.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 ៛38.5K

$12.69 MX$238

-25.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 ៛17.3K

$2.78 MX$52.3

53.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,213

$1.37 MX$25.68

-6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.60 ៛18.7K

$2.55 MX$47.89

80.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 ៛7,844

$2.12 MX$39.86

-9.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ៛7,186

$1.94 MX$36.39

-9.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ៛4,627

$1.89 MX$35.41

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ៛3,164

$1.15 MX$21.53

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ៛3,057

$1.18 MX$22.13

-36.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 ៛7,820

$4.30 MX$80.6

-55.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 ៛44.4K

$9.95 MX$187

9.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ៛2,616

$1.58 MX$29.73

-59.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ៛3,984

$2.67 MX$50.1

-63.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ៛3,472

$4.97 MX$93.3

-82.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 ៛3,637

$3.33 MX$62.5

-73.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 ៛20.2K

$5.36 MX$101

-7.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ៛4,887

$1.44 MX$27.11

-16.67%

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

$35.2K ៛143.5M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

70.43%

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

$34.3K ៛139.7M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

46.11%

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

$64.2 ៛261.6K

$84.8 MX$1,592

-24.30%

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

$2.72 ៛11.1K

$23.41 MX$439

-88.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 ៛103.2K

$28.66 MX$538

-11.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.07 ៛89.9K

$57.1 MX$1,071

-61.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ៛20.5K

$5.14 MX$96.5

-2.14%

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

$89.2 ៛363.6K

$207 MX$3,878

-56.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,929 ៛16.0M

$3,927 MX$73.7K

0.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.29 ៛82.7K

$43.35 MX$814

-53.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.97 ៛97.7K

$41.44 MX$778

-42.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ៛366.6K

$74.2 MX$1,393

21.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.81 ៛182.6K

$89.3 MX$1,676

-49.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 ៛930.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

-76.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ៛621.8K

$381 MX$7,150

-59.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ៛1.7M

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-75.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ៛1.3M

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-70.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ៛826.8K

$735 MX$13.8K

-72.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

11.45

-36.68%

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

Last update for Battambang: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Battambang

$230 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 10.6% $24

Accommodation & Living

Battambang

$153 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 150% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Battambang

$92 14%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 48.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Battambang

$81 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38.7% $31

Eating Out

Battambang

$68 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 198% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Battambang

$32 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 110% $35

Getting Around

Battambang

$5.3 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 848% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $228 in Battambang and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Battambang vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $255 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Battambang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

12 h behind Battambang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,709

149,923

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Battambang Playa del Carmen 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Battambang
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

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

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Battambang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $228 in Battambang versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $89 in Battambang versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Battambang versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Battambang wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.