Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Cha-am is 38.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 25.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cha-am is 25.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.13 ฿101
$11.99 MX$227
-73.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.82 ฿706
$42.47 MX$803
-48.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.82 ฿285
$10.47 MX$198
-15.76%
Cappuccino
$2.09 ฿67.6
$3.6 MX$68.2
-41.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿20.57
$1.44 MX$27.16
-55.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ฿13.3
$0.89 MX$16.79
-53.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿79.1
$3.09 MX$58.5
-21.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 ฿116
$4.58 MX$86.6
-21.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 ฿54.9
$1.38 MX$26.04
23.19%
White Bread (500g)
$1.4 ฿45.41
$1.85 MX$34.9
-24.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 ฿40.93
$1.57 MX$29.68
-19.75%
Eggs
$1.83 ฿59.4
$2.55 MX$48.3
-28.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.23 ฿428
$8.61 MX$163
53.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.33 ฿108
$8.54 MX$161
-61.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11 ฿356
$10.98 MX$208
0.18%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 ฿102
$2.72 MX$51.4
15.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.3 ฿42.06
$1.51 MX$28.57
-13.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 ฿58.5
$1.88 MX$35.63
-3.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 ฿51
$2.19 MX$41.42
-27.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 ฿54.1
$1.87 MX$35.3
-10.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 ฿40.46
$2.19 MX$41.37
-42.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 ฿39.32
$1.07 MX$20.23
14.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿14.82
$1.09 MX$20.64
-57.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.55 ฿147
$3.96 MX$74.9
14.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.31 ฿592
$8.86 MX$167
106.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.8 ฿58.4
$1.72 MX$32.53
4.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ฿113
$2.61 MX$49.37
33.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿30.22
$0.52 MX$9.74
78.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.59 MX$503
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.11 ฿35.82
$3.24 MX$61.2
-65.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 ฿24.36
$2.38 MX$44.94
-68.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.32 ฿107
$3.11 MX$58.7
6.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿42.75
$1.31 MX$24.85
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K ฿656.8K
$30.3K MX$573K
-33.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K ฿674.4K
$24K MX$453.6K
-13.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.8 ฿2,355
$84.2 MX$1,592
-13.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.19 ฿427
$22.14 MX$419
-40.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.33 ฿593
$30.14 MX$570
-39.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.36 ฿788
$52 MX$983
-53.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.97 ฿387
$18.72 MX$354
-36.06%
Cinema Ticket
$7.62 ฿247
$5.07 MX$95.9
50.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 ฿4,512
$200 MX$3,787
-30.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,390 ฿303.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
76.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.23 ฿978
$35.74 MX$676
-15.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.73 ฿638
$39.8 MX$753
-50.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.9 ฿1,971
$79 MX$1,493
-22.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.79 ฿1,417
$88.4 MX$1,671
-50.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$468 ฿15.2K
$965 MX$18.3K
-51.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$375 ฿12.1K
$474 MX$8,968
-20.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$758 ฿24.5K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-54.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$668 ฿21.6K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-44.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,477 ฿80.2K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-19.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,976 ฿63.9K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-73.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cha-am
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$377 ฿12.2K
$792 MX$15K
-52.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.45
11.42
-52.28%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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