Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chittagong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $371 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
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Chittagong Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$371

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $371 per month in Chittagong vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chittagong $371
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $626 per month in Chittagong vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chittagong $626
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $881 per month in Chittagong vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chittagong $881
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Chittagong is about 69% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chittagong and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Chittagong 73% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ৳257

$10.76 MX$199

-80.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.17 ৳1,503

$43.03 MX$795

-71.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ৳664

$11.79 MX$218

-54.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ৳323

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ৳516

Cappuccino

$1.94 ৳239

$3.87 MX$71.4

-49.87%

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

$0.40 ৳48.92

$1.37 MX$25.29

-70.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ৳13.77

$0.84 MX$15.44

-86.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ৳93.0

$1.44 MX$26.55

-47.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳73.9

$2.23 MX$41.23

-73.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ৳77.6

$1.47 MX$27.17

-57.14%

Eggs

$1.16 ৳144

$2.53 MX$46.71

-54.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 ৳891

$7.30 MX$135

-1.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.03 ৳251

$7.86 MX$145

-74.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 ৳892

$12.79 MX$236

-43.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ৳291

$2.90 MX$53.6

-18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ৳104

$1.44 MX$26.53

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 ৳255

$2.55 MX$47.07

-19.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 ৳106

$2.06 MX$38.03

-58.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ৳54.3

$2.00 MX$36.97

-78.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ৳96.9

$2.01 MX$37.07

-61.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 ৳60.7

$1.19 MX$22.02

-58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ৳39.89

$1.26 MX$23.23

-74.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.38 ৳541

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ৳104

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ৳183

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ৳376

$4.40 MX$81.4

-30.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ৳25.83

$0.57 MX$10.47

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ৳98.7

$4.98 MX$92.1

-83.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ৳72.1

$3.50 MX$64.6

-83.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 ৳487

$5.40 MX$99.8

-27.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳142

$1.47 MX$27.08

-21.77%

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

$32.0K ৳4.0M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

52.64%

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

$45.5K ৳5.6M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

90.23%

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

$30.32 ৳3,746

$84.2 MX$1,556

-63.99%

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

$5.57 ৳689

$23.99 MX$443

-76.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.57 ৳1,553

$29.02 MX$536

-56.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.87 ৳2,455

$63.0 MX$1,164

-68.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.88 ৳1,714

$29.14 MX$539

-52.37%

Cinema Ticket

$3.68 ৳455

$4.94 MX$91.3

-25.51%

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

$36.24 ৳4,478

$204 MX$3,763

-82.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,444 ৳178.4K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-63.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.22 ৳2,869

$43.60 MX$806

-46.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.79 ৳2,445

$43.12 MX$797

-54.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ৳7,053

$75.8 MX$1,400

-24.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.68 ৳4,285

$88.6 MX$1,637

-60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 ৳15.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-87.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$60.0 ৳7,418

$374 MX$6,911

-83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ৳33.1K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ৳20.1K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-85.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$782 ৳96.7K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-80.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$462 ৳57.1K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-92.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 ৳34.7K

$754 MX$13.9K

-62.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.45

0.44%

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

Last update for Chittagong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chittagong

$112 30.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 130% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chittagong

$61 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 86.3% $52

Accommodation & Living

Chittagong

$60 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 523% $314

Eating Out

Chittagong

$58 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 249% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chittagong

$48 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 183% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Chittagong

$27 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 168% $46

Getting Around

Chittagong

$4.6 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1055% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $124 in Chittagong versus $1,008 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 run about 169% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Chittagong versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $258 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

11 h behind Chittagong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,592,439

149,923

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chittagong Playa del Carmen 15,240 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chittagong
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $371 in Chittagong, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 226% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $557 per month in Chittagong and $1,816 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 Chittagong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Chittagong and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $371, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Chittagong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $371 in Chittagong to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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