Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chon Buri and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $814 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$814

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Chon Buri $814
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Chon Buri versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Chon Buri $1,358
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chon Buri versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Chon Buri $1,903
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Chon Buri costs roughly 32% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chon Buri 40% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.88 ฿63.0

$10.86 MX$201

-82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.18 ฿541

$44.21 MX$817

-63.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ฿256

$11.76 MX$217

-34.78%

Cappuccino

$1.77 ฿59.1

$3.68 MX$68.0

-51.90%

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

$0.74 ฿24.75

$1.34 MX$24.79

-44.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.60

$0.82 MX$15.24

-57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$3.06 MX$56.6

-42.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿96.8

$4.94 MX$91.2

-41.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.76

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ฿43.31

$2.22 MX$40.95

-41.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.78

$1.48 MX$27.32

-17.57%

Eggs

$1.92 ฿64.2

$2.49 MX$45.99

-22.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 ฿414

$7.52 MX$139

64.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.44 ฿81.5

$7.96 MX$147

-69.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ฿345

$12.57 MX$232

-17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 ฿119

$2.78 MX$51.3

28.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ฿31.14

$1.43 MX$26.37

-34.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ฿81.9

$2.62 MX$48.37

-6.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.14 MX$39.49

-23.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿66.5

$2.02 MX$37.38

-1.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.99 MX$36.74

-47.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ฿25.22

$1.14 MX$21.01

-34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$1.20 MX$22.18

-62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿146

$4.26 MX$78.7

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 ฿467

$10.02 MX$185

39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿53.8

$1.54 MX$28.41

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿60.2

$2.66 MX$49.17

-32.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 ฿33.10

$0.53 MX$9.73

86.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.3

$4.90 MX$90.6

-52.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿204

$5.38 MX$99.4

13.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.07

$1.45 MX$26.76

-8.97%

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

$26.6K ฿889.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

25.76%

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

$22.2K ฿743.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-3.40%

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

$83.6 ฿2,795

$85.4 MX$1,577

-2.04%

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

$9.07 ฿303

$23.46 MX$434

-61.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.73 ฿793

$28.43 MX$525

-16.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.24 ฿1,545

$62.2 MX$1,149

-25.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.98 ฿467

$28.68 MX$530

-51.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 ฿219

$5.10 MX$94.3

28.63%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$201 MX$3,715

261.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿367.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

178.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.05 ฿202

$44.39 MX$820

-86.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.20 ฿1,210

$41.35 MX$764

-12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ฿2,431

$72.7 MX$1,344

0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ฿1,828

$89.6 MX$1,656

-38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ฿17.8K

$979 MX$18.1K

-45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ฿8,398

$373 MX$6,887

-32.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ฿36.6K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-34.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,662 ฿55.6K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-57.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 ฿48.9K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-76.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.7K

$738 MX$13.6K

-19.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-73.80%

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

Last update for Chon Buri: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chon Buri

$251 30.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 48.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chon Buri

$218 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 18.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chon Buri

$116 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 17.9% $21

Eating Out

Chon Buri

$78 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 156% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chon Buri

$76 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 46.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chon Buri

$59 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 22% $13

Getting Around

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 272% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Chon Buri and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16.00 in Chon Buri vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $258 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

05:52 5:52 AM

12 h behind Chon Buri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,364

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chon Buri Playa del Carmen 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chon Buri
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

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

Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Playa del Carmen. 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: $531 in Chon Buri versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chon Buri versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chon Buri delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chon Buri hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chon Buri and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.