Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Can Tho and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index
57

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

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Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $724 per month in Can Tho vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Can Tho $724
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,227 per month in Can Tho vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Can Tho $1,227
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,729 per month in Can Tho vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Can Tho $1,729
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Can Tho is about 40% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Can Tho and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Can Tho 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$10.67 MX$199

-86.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.71 ₫610.8K

$43.80 MX$815

-45.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.78 ₫97.5K

$11.79 MX$219

-67.94%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$3.79 MX$70.5

-60.16%

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

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$1.30 MX$24.14

-59.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₫7,591

$0.83 MX$15.51

-65.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$3.15 MX$58.6

-66.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₫29.1K

$4.93 MX$91.8

-77.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ₫34.0K

$1.41 MX$26.22

-6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ₫30.3K

$2.20 MX$40.86

-46.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.47 MX$27.40

-45.58%

Eggs

$1.42 ₫36.6K

$2.50 MX$46.47

-43.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 ₫313.7K

$7.29 MX$136

67.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 ₫92.0K

$7.95 MX$148

-55.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ₫256.0K

$12.86 MX$239

-22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 ₫81.0K

$2.90 MX$53.9

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$1.38 MX$25.74

-7.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.4K

$2.49 MX$46.36

-44.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$2.03 MX$37.78

-60.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$2.02 MX$37.69

-62.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$1.90 MX$35.42

-50.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 ₫20.5K

$1.14 MX$21.30

-29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.24 MX$23.06

-54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.4K

$4.27 MX$79.5

-71.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₫197.7K

$9.81 MX$183

-21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$1.59 MX$29.51

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₫36.5K

$2.75 MX$51.1

-48.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫7,882

$0.51 MX$9.58

-39.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.30 ₫162.3K

$27.39 MX$510

-77.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 ₫11.8K

$4.76 MX$88.6

-90.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$3.25 MX$60.5

-81.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ₫78.4K

$5.39 MX$100

-43.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$1.53 MX$28.44

-40.52%

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

$31.0K ₫799.0M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

46.21%

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

$28.9K ₫745.6M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

24.41%

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

$49.32 ₫1.3M

$83.5 MX$1,554

-40.93%

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

$3.89 ₫100.3K

$23.19 MX$431

-83.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 ₫247.6K

$27.61 MX$514

-65.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.23 ₫521.3K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-64.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫195.5K

$28.19 MX$525

-73.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 ₫86.5K

$5.00 MX$93.1

-32.80%

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

$190 ₫4.9M

$207 MX$3,854

-8.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,044 ₫181.4M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

34.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.50 ₫502.4K

$43.45 MX$809

-55.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.70 ₫507.6K

$42.54 MX$792

-53.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₫2.4M

$72.8 MX$1,354

27.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 ₫2.4M

$88.4 MX$1,645

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₫11.1M

$995 MX$18.5K

-56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₫7.3M

$382 MX$7,116

-26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₫17.0M

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-60.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$697 ₫18.0M

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,427 ₫62.5M

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-37.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,355 ₫34.9M

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-77.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 ₫4.1M

$832 MX$15.5K

-80.71%

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 Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Can Tho

$282 39%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 35.5% $100

Groceries & Markets

Can Tho

$188 26%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 36.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Can Tho

$102 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 9.3% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Can Tho

$63 8.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 114% $71

Eating Out

Can Tho

$52 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 288% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Can Tho

$27 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 147% $39

Getting Around

Can Tho

$11 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 362% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $432 in Can Tho versus $995 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 in Playa del Carmen are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Can Tho versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $257 – making Can Tho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

08:03 8:03 AM

12 h behind Can Tho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,258,900

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Can Tho Playa del Carmen 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Can Tho
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,086 per month in Can Tho and $1,804 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 Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Can Tho and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Can Tho, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Can Tho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Can Tho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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