Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Binh Duong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Binh Duong: $571 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Binh Duong, Vietnam
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Binh Duong
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$571
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $571 in Binh Duong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Binh Duong $571
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $964 in Binh Duong versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Binh Duong $964
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,357 in Binh Duong versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Binh Duong $1,357
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Binh Duong costs roughly 53% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Binh Duong 58% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.92 ₫49.5K
$10.92 MX$203
-82.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.91 ₫592.3K
$43.37 MX$808
-47.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.38 ₫87.3K
$11.78 MX$219
-71.31%
Cappuccino
$1.63 ₫42.2K
$3.81 MX$71.0
-57.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₫12.9K
$1.28 MX$23.89
-60.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₫7,768
$0.78 MX$14.58
-61.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.73 ₫18.7K
$3.17 MX$59.0
-76.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 ₫25.6K
$4.93 MX$91.9
-79.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ₫41.3K
$1.41 MX$26.20
13.48%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 ₫21.0K
$2.22 MX$41.30
-63.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.62 ₫16.0K
$1.42 MX$26.40
-56.34%
Eggs
$1.50 ₫38.7K
$2.52 MX$47.00
-40.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.66 ₫301.5K
$7.26 MX$135
60.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.48 ₫90.0K
$7.70 MX$143
-54.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.03 ₫259.2K
$12.69 MX$236
-20.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 ₫56.1K
$2.78 MX$51.9
-21.94%
Banana (1kg)
$0.61 ₫15.7K
$1.37 MX$25.49
-55.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.73 ₫18.9K
$2.55 MX$47.52
-71.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 ₫28.2K
$2.12 MX$39.55
-48.58%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 ₫24.2K
$1.94 MX$36.11
-51.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.89 MX$35.13
-44.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 ₫20.2K
$1.15 MX$21.36
-32.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₫12.8K
$1.18 MX$21.96
-57.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$0.81 ₫20.8K
$4.30 MX$80.0
-81.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.90 ₫256.0K
$9.95 MX$185
-0.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ₫15.5K
$1.58 MX$29.50
-62.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 ₫25.9K
$2.67 MX$49.76
-62.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ₫8,140
$0.55 MX$10.31
-43.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.61 ₫170.8K
$26.62 MX$496
-75.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.37 ₫9,637
$4.97 MX$92.6
-92.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.60 ₫15.5K
$3.33 MX$62.1
-81.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.10 ₫80.2K
$5.36 MX$99.8
-42.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 ₫21.3K
$1.44 MX$26.90
-43.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K ₫789.8M
$20.7K MX$385.0K
47.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.1K ₫751.5M
$23.5K MX$437.2K
23.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.54 ₫996.3K
$84.8 MX$1,580
-54.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.63 ₫145.5K
$23.41 MX$436
-75.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.38 ₫165.0K
$28.66 MX$534
-77.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.75 ₫588.2K
$57.1 MX$1,063
-60.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.76 ₫200.7K
$28.91 MX$539
-73.16%
Cinema Ticket
$2.98 ₫77.0K
$5.14 MX$95.7
-42.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$393 ₫10.2M
$207 MX$3,848
90.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.4K ₫603.9M
$3,927 MX$73.2K
494.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.76 ₫821.0K
$43.35 MX$808
-26.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.53 ₫401.4K
$41.44 MX$772
-62.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.0 ₫2.0M
$74.2 MX$1,382
2.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.2 ₫1.8M
$89.3 MX$1,663
-21.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$256 ₫6.6M
$980 MX$18.2K
-73.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$163 ₫4.2M
$381 MX$7,095
-57.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$627 ₫16.2M
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-63.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 ₫10.1M
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-63.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,585 ₫41.0M
$3,943 MX$73.5K
-59.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$959 ₫24.8M
$6,158 MX$114.7K
-84.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Binh Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$342 ₫8.8M
$735 MX$13.7K
-53.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
11.45
-24.54%

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

Last update for Binh Duong: 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
Binh Duong
$177
Playa del Carmen
$255 44.2% $78
Accommodation & Living
Binh Duong
$163
Playa del Carmen
$381 133% $218
Clothing & Footwear
Binh Duong
$87
Playa del Carmen
$112 28.3% $25
Eating Out
Binh Duong
$54
Playa del Carmen
$202 276% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Binh Duong
$51
Playa del Carmen
$137 171% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Binh Duong
$29
Playa del Carmen
$67 135% $39
Getting Around
Binh Duong
$11
Playa del Carmen
$50 349% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $256 in Binh Duong and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Binh Duong vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $255 per month, with Binh Duong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Binh Duong
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
13:29 1:29 PM
01:29 1:29 AM
12 h behind Binh Duong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
373,105
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Binh Duong Playa del Carmen 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Binh Duong
  • 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
Binh Duong vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Binh Duong and in Playa del Carmen?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $571 in Binh Duong and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Binh Duong is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Binh Duong. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Binh Duong and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $256 in Binh Duong versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Binh Duong – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Binh Duong or Playa del Carmen?
All in, you’ll spend $571 per month in Binh Duong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Binh Duong is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $571 in Binh Duong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Binh Duong but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Binh Duong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Binh Duong and Playa del Carmen?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Binh Duong or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Binh Duong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Binh Duong vs other spots: cost of living compared

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