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 21.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 34% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Rai is 7.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 43.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
ðŸ― Eating Out
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.98 āļŋ63.4
$11.61 MX$200
-82.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.45 āļŋ494
$42.75 MX$738
-63.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.23 āļŋ199
$10.60 MX$183
-41.23%
Cappuccino
$1.42 āļŋ45.45
$3.59 MX$62.0
-60.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 āļŋ18.13
$1.45 MX$25.08
-60.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 āļŋ8.82
$0.90 MX$15.50
-68.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.80 āļŋ57.7
$3.03 MX$52.4
-40.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 āļŋ118
$4.56 MX$78.8
-19.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 āļŋ54.2
$1.45 MX$25.07
17.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 āļŋ51.4
$1.83 MX$31.55
-12.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 āļŋ38.29
$1.61 MX$27.77
-25.47%
Eggs
$1.89 āļŋ60.6
$2.54 MX$43.82
-25.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.24 āļŋ519
$8.54 MX$148
90.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.04 āļŋ97.2
$8.47 MX$146
-64.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 āļŋ354
$10.86 MX$188
1.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 āļŋ80.8
$2.73 MX$47.13
-7.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 āļŋ33.57
$1.49 MX$25.77
-29.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 āļŋ52.0
$1.94 MX$33.55
-15.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.91 āļŋ29.03
$2.16 MX$37.38
-57.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 āļŋ44.63
$1.85 MX$31.88
-24.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 āļŋ35.21
$2.19 MX$37.80
-49.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 āļŋ22.49
$1.07 MX$18.52
-34.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 āļŋ16.92
$1.08 MX$18.71
-50.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.60 āļŋ115
$4.06 MX$70.1
-11.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.38 āļŋ588
$10.46 MX$181
75.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 āļŋ58.2
$1.65 MX$28.56
10.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 āļŋ107
$2.55 MX$44.01
30.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 āļŋ23.91
$0.56 MX$9.60
33.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.05 āļŋ737
$26.20 MX$453
-12.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.40 āļŋ44.86
$3.14 MX$54.2
-55.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 āļŋ42.62
$2.37 MX$40.96
-43.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.22 āļŋ263
$3.24 MX$56.0
153.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 āļŋ39.39
$1.31 MX$22.70
-6.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K āļŋ659.4K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-32.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K āļŋ696.9K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-8.50%
ðŸ§ū Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.57 āļŋ1,553
$83.1 MX$1,436
-41.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.11 āļŋ451
$22.15 MX$383
-36.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.36 āļŋ491
$29.37 MX$507
-47.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.36 āļŋ1,546
$51.2 MX$884
-5.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.18 āļŋ389
$18.69 MX$323
-34.83%
Cinema Ticket
$3.66 āļŋ117
$4.89 MX$84.4
-25.15%
ðŸ§ļ Childcare & Education
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 āļŋ9,732
$199 MX$3,431
53.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,575 āļŋ242.2K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
45.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 āļŋ1,777
$35.93 MX$621
54.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.52 āļŋ848
$39.39 MX$680
-32.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.0 āļŋ2,333
$80.3 MX$1,387
-9.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.8 āļŋ2,232
$87.6 MX$1,512
-20.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$263 āļŋ8,393
$963 MX$16.6K
-72.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$255 āļŋ8,167
$482 MX$8,326
-47.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$770 āļŋ24.6K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-53.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$488 āļŋ15.6K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-59.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,045 āļŋ65.4K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-48.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,023 āļŋ32.7K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-84.29%
ðŸ’ĩ Salaries & Financials
Chiang Rai
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$615 āļŋ19.6K
$726 MX$12.5K
-15.38%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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