Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Rai is 28% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 34.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Rai is 30.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 41.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.97 ฿63.8
$11.73 MX$222
-83.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.52 ฿502
$41.52 MX$785
-62.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.12 ฿198
$10.57 MX$200
-42.10%
Cappuccino
$1.43 ฿46.29
$3.49 MX$65.9
-59.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 ฿18.43
$1.45 MX$27.33
-60.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ฿8.96
$0.97 MX$18.33
-71.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 ฿60.6
$3.03 MX$57.2
-38.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 ฿120
$4.59 MX$86.8
-18.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.1
$1.42 MX$26.87
15.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿52.5
$1.87 MX$35.43
-13.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.45
$1.54 MX$29.2
-22.73%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$2.6 MX$49.21
-23.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.18 ฿523
$8.32 MX$157
94.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.99 ฿96.9
$8.54 MX$161
-64.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ฿353
$10.67 MX$202
2.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 ฿82.3
$2.66 MX$50.2
-4.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿33.74
$1.51 MX$28.5
-31.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 ฿52.5
$1.9 MX$35.87
-14.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.95 ฿30.73
$2.19 MX$41.45
-56.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.4 ฿45.17
$1.78 MX$33.7
-21.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿37.3
$2.17 MX$41.05
-47.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 ฿21.49
$1.07 MX$20.14
-38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.61
$1.09 MX$20.53
-53.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ฿123
$4.17 MX$78.8
-9.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.25 ฿526
$8.75 MX$165
85.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.8 ฿58.1
$1.69 MX$31.91
6.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 ฿106
$2.53 MX$47.74
29.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.74 ฿23.9
$0.51 MX$9.59
45.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.13 ฿748
$26.97 MX$510
-14.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿44.01
$3.25 MX$61.4
-58.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.29 ฿41.84
$2.49 MX$47.01
-48.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.89 ฿255
$3.22 MX$60.8
145.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 ฿41.45
$1.26 MX$23.87
1.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ฿669K
$29.8K MX$564.1K
-30.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K ฿716.3K
$23.4K MX$442.5K
-5.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.99 ฿1,585
$84.2 MX$1,592
-41.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.17 ฿459
$22.8 MX$431
-37.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.16 ฿491
$30.04 MX$568
-49.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.38 ฿1,565
$51.4 MX$972
-5.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.41 ฿402
$18.28 MX$346
-32.11%
Cinema Ticket
$3.65 ฿118
$4.97 MX$94.1
-26.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$310 ฿10K
$197 MX$3,719
57.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,641 ฿247.3K
$5,254 MX$99.3K
45.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 ฿1,809
$35.81 MX$677
56.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.33 ฿852
$39.43 MX$745
-33.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.3 ฿2,307
$80.9 MX$1,529
-11.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.4 ฿2,311
$86.3 MX$1,631
-17.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$269 ฿8,714
$968 MX$18.3K
-72.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$254 ฿8,214
$478 MX$9,037
-46.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$746 ฿24.2K
$1,631 MX$30.8K
-54.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$497 ฿16.1K
$1,197 MX$22.6K
-58.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,998 ฿64.7K
$3,137 MX$59.3K
-36.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,007 ฿32.6K
$7,586 MX$143.4K
-86.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$468 ฿15.2K
$805 MX$15.2K
-41.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.42
-56.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Rai: November 2, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

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