Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cox's Bazar and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
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Cox's Bazar Living Index
58

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

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Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$348

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $348 in Cox’s Bazar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cox's Bazar $348
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $558 in Cox’s Bazar versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cox's Bazar $558
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $769 in Cox’s Bazar versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cox's Bazar $769
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cox’s Bazar costs roughly 71% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cox’s Bazar 74% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ৳194

$10.92 MX$205

-85.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.21 ৳1,513

$43.37 MX$815

-71.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 ৳366

$11.78 MX$221

-74.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ৳320

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ৳308

Cappuccino

$1.92 ৳238

$3.81 MX$71.6

-49.61%

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

$0.36 ৳44.57

$1.28 MX$24.10

-71.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ৳12.90

$0.78 MX$14.71

-87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳99.2

$1.41 MX$26.43

-43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ৳62.2

$2.22 MX$41.66

-77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ৳81.9

$1.42 MX$26.64

-53.52%

Eggs

$1.04 ৳129

$2.52 MX$47.41

-58.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 ৳892

$7.26 MX$137

-0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.07 ৳256

$7.70 MX$145

-73.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 ৳904

$12.69 MX$239

-42.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ৳291

$2.78 MX$52.3

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳109

$1.37 MX$25.71

-35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ৳199

$2.55 MX$47.94

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.1

$2.12 MX$39.90

-75.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.2

$1.94 MX$36.43

-76.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ৳71.3

$1.89 MX$35.44

-69.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ৳58.5

$1.15 MX$21.55

-59.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳36.72

$1.18 MX$22.16

-74.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.68 ৳952

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ৳316

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ৳565

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 ৳236

$4.30 MX$80.7

-55.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 ৳36.32

$4.97 MX$93.4

-94.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ৳43.20

$3.33 MX$62.6

-89.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ৳516

$5.36 MX$101

-22.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ৳142

$1.44 MX$27.14

-20.83%

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

$31.7K ৳3.9M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

53.21%

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

$34.0K ৳4.2M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

44.76%

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

$12.20 ৳1,512

$84.8 MX$1,594

-85.61%

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

$2.63 ৳326

$23.41 MX$440

-88.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ৳1,377

$28.66 MX$539

-61.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.05 ৳1,989

$57.1 MX$1,072

-71.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.07 ৳504

$28.91 MX$543

-85.92%

Cinema Ticket

$2.36 ৳292

$5.14 MX$96.6

-54.09%

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

$24.65 ৳3,055

$207 MX$3,882

-88.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,454 ৳180.1K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-62.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 ৳2,795

$43.35 MX$815

-47.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.21 ৳2,256

$41.44 MX$779

-56.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.91 ৳4,078

$74.2 MX$1,394

-55.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.87 ৳4,321

$89.3 MX$1,677

-60.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.4K

$980 MX$18.4K

-83.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.1 ৳11.9K

$381 MX$7,157

-74.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ৳37.1K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-82.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.3K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-84.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$348 ৳43.1K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-91.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$261 ৳32.4K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-95.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 ৳35.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

-61.10%

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 Cox's Bazar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cox's Bazar

$108 31%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 137% $147

Accommodation & Living

Cox's Bazar

$96 27.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 297% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Cox's Bazar

$49 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 129% $63

Eating Out

Cox's Bazar

$46 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 337% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 427% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Cox's Bazar

$21 6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 224% $47

Getting Around

Cox's Bazar

$2 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 2373% $48

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 $164 in Cox’s Bazar and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.6 times 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: $12 in Cox’s Bazar vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $255 per month, with Cox’s Bazar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

21:47 9:47 PM

11 h behind Cox's Bazar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,522

149,923

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cox's Bazar Playa del Carmen 15,340 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cox's Bazar
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

Cox's Bazar vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $348 in Cox’s Bazar and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Cox’s Bazar is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Cox’s Bazar. 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: $164 in Cox’s Bazar versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $348 per month in Cox’s Bazar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Cox’s Bazar is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $348 in Cox’s Bazar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cox’s Bazar but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cox’s Bazar 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cox’s Bazar wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.