Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cam Ranh and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $740 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
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Cam Ranh Living Index
59

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

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Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$740

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Cam Ranh versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cam Ranh $740
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Cam Ranh versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Cam Ranh $1,235
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in Cam Ranh versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Cam Ranh $1,730
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Cam Ranh costs roughly 39% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cam Ranh 45% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$10.86 MX$201

-76.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ₫610.2K

$44.21 MX$817

-46.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.4K

$11.76 MX$217

-60.12%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$3.68 MX$68.0

-55.43%

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

$0.40 ₫10.3K

$1.34 MX$24.79

-70.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ₫5,434

$0.82 MX$15.24

-74.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$3.06 MX$56.6

-80.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$4.94 MX$91.2

-75.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₫38.2K

$1.47 MX$27.17

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₫11.5K

$2.22 MX$40.95

-80.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$1.48 MX$27.32

-32.43%

Eggs

$1.42 ₫36.8K

$2.49 MX$45.99

-42.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 ₫315.8K

$7.52 MX$139

62.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.96 MX$147

-61.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ₫286.0K

$12.57 MX$232

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₫50.6K

$2.78 MX$51.3

-29.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ₫19.9K

$1.43 MX$26.37

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.62 MX$48.37

-57.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.6K

$2.14 MX$39.49

-42.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₫20.0K

$2.02 MX$37.38

-61.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₫17.6K

$1.99 MX$36.74

-65.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₫20.5K

$1.14 MX$21.01

-30.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₫10.7K

$1.20 MX$22.18

-65.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-64.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 ₫298.4K

$10.02 MX$185

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$1.54 MX$28.41

-59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₫46.1K

$2.66 MX$49.17

-33.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫7,958

$0.53 MX$9.73

-41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.84 ₫177.1K

$27.51 MX$508

-75.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$4.90 MX$90.6

-88.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$3.43 MX$63.5

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 ₫72.6K

$5.38 MX$99.4

-47.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₫22.2K

$1.45 MX$26.76

-40.69%

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

$31.1K ₫805.6M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

47.08%

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

$27.7K ₫717.3M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

20.36%

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

$78.3 ₫2.0M

$85.4 MX$1,577

-8.28%

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

$6.66 ₫172.4K

$23.46 MX$434

-71.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.39 ₫243.1K

$28.43 MX$525

-66.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.25 ₫602.0K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-62.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.95 ₫180.0K

$28.68 MX$530

-75.77%

Cinema Ticket

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$5.10 MX$94.3

-62.75%

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

$216 ₫5.6M

$201 MX$3,715

7.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,892 ₫100.8M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

-1.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.36 ₫1.1M

$44.39 MX$820

-6.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.76 ₫615.0K

$41.35 MX$764

-42.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.42 ₫1.3M

$72.7 MX$1,344

-33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 ₫2.2M

$89.6 MX$1,656

-6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₫10.0M

$979 MX$18.1K

-60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₫7.1M

$373 MX$6,887

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 ₫22.4M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-48.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₫17.9M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-36.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,143 ₫55.5M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-45.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,234 ₫31.9M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-79.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

11.45

-27.69%

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

Last update for Cam Ranh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cam Ranh

$275 37.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 35.3% $97

Groceries & Markets

Cam Ranh

$180 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 43.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cam Ranh

$94 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cam Ranh

$89 12%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 25.6% $23

Eating Out

Cam Ranh

$62 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 221% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Cam Ranh

$27 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 168% $45

Getting Around

Cam Ranh

$12 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 346% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Cam Ranh and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cam Ranh vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $258 per month, with Cam Ranh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

12 h behind Cam Ranh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,630

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cam Ranh Playa del Carmen 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cam Ranh
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

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

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,110 in Cam Ranh and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Cam Ranh versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $740 per month in Cam Ranh versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 302% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $740 in Cam Ranh versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cam Ranh but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cam Ranh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Ranh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $740 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Ranh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cam Ranh and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cam Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.