Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $871 in Cha-am versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cha-am $871
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Cha-am versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cha-am $1,405
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Cha-am versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cha-am $1,940
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cha-am costs roughly 28% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 36% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿101

$10.92 MX$204

-72.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 ฿749

$43.37 MX$810

-48.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ฿248

$11.78 MX$220

-37.61%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿68.0

$3.81 MX$71.2

-47.24%

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

$0.69 ฿23.34

$1.28 MX$23.96

-46.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.69

$0.78 MX$14.63

-55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿82.4

$3.17 MX$59.2

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.93 MX$92.2

-40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.41 MX$26.28

23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.22 MX$41.43

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.94

$1.42 MX$26.48

-6.34%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿63.2

$2.52 MX$47.14

-25.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 ฿418

$7.26 MX$136

70.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$7.70 MX$144

-67.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ฿337

$12.69 MX$237

-21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ฿114

$2.78 MX$52.0

21.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿41.01

$1.37 MX$25.56

-11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$2.55 MX$47.66

-25.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ฿61.2

$2.12 MX$39.67

-14.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.94 MX$36.22

-10.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.62

$1.89 MX$35.24

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ฿40.53

$1.15 MX$21.42

4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.81

$1.18 MX$22.03

-62.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$4.30 MX$80.3

-0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$9.95 MX$186

80.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.58 MX$29.59

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.6

$2.67 MX$49.91

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ฿30.62

$0.55 MX$10.34

65.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.60 ฿763

$26.62 MX$497

-15.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ฿45.29

$4.97 MX$92.9

-73.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.49

$3.33 MX$62.2

-67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ฿122

$5.36 MX$100

-32.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.41

$1.44 MX$26.98

-4.86%

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

$16.3K ฿551.6K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

-20.96%

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

$26.5K ฿893.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

12.74%

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

$80.9 ฿2,732

$84.8 MX$1,584

-4.58%

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

$11.74 ฿397

$23.41 MX$437

-49.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 ฿783

$28.66 MX$535

-19.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.97 ฿810

$57.1 MX$1,066

-57.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 ฿199

$28.91 MX$540

-79.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ฿226

$5.14 MX$96.0

30.35%

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

$615 ฿20.8K

$207 MX$3,860

197.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ฿358.8K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

170.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,722

$43.35 MX$810

17.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.67 ฿968

$41.44 MX$774

-30.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ฿2,438

$74.2 MX$1,386

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.1 ฿1,791

$89.3 MX$1,668

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 ฿12.4K

$980 MX$18.3K

-62.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ฿9,020

$381 MX$7,116

-29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-55.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ฿22.0K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ฿12.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

-50.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

11.45

-47.95%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$267 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$233 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 9.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$116 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 18.1% $21

Eating Out

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 119% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 21.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 80.1% $30

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 53% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Cha-am and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Cha-am vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $255 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

09:07 9:07 AM

12 h behind Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cha-am Playa del Carmen 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cha-am
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

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

Cha-am and Playa del Carmen differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($871 vs $1,204 including rent). Cha-am is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Cha-am. 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: $368 in Cha-am versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $871 per month in Cha-am versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 15% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.