Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Dhaka $426
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Dhaka $735
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Dhaka $1,043
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 65% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$10.97 MX$201

-77.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$44.85 MX$823

-70.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$11.92 MX$219

-59.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.34 ৳287

$3.80 MX$69.9

-38.42%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$1.31 MX$24.08

-77.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.86 MX$15.72

-81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.46 MX$26.77

-45.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$2.33 MX$42.72

-72.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.44 MX$26.48

-50.69%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$2.46 MX$45.20

-50.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$7.70 MX$141

12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$7.89 MX$145

-59.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$12.80 MX$235

-47.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$2.92 MX$53.6

-6.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.42 MX$26.11

-38.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.57 MX$47.10

-7.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$2.14 MX$39.24

-69.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.95 MX$35.75

-87.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.94 MX$35.55

-74.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.15 MX$21.13

-72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$1.22 MX$22.42

-75.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ৳396

$4.38 MX$80.3

-26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.52 MX$9.64

-19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$27.42 MX$503

-17.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$4.91 MX$90.2

-75.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$3.52 MX$64.7

-88.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$5.69 MX$104

-41.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.54 MX$28.27

-25.32%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

42.63%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

34.90%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$83.6 MX$1,535

-44.60%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$24.03 MX$441

-81.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$29.33 MX$539

-63.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$64.9 MX$1,191

-74.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$29.46 MX$541

-45.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$5.09 MX$93.4

-18.86%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$208 MX$3,813

-56.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

-34.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$44.55 MX$818

-63.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$42.06 MX$772

-50.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$75.5 MX$1,387

-33.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$91.4 MX$1,678

-60.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$986 MX$18.1K

-84.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$385 MX$7,072

-80.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-74.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-80.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

-59.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-87.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$758 MX$13.9K

-67.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

11.45

-8.47%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 112% $138

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 423% $312

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 217% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 124% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 104% $58

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 89.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 205% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 204% 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: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $260 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

11 h behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Playa del Carmen 15,070 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
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

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

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 185% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 204% 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: $152 in Dhaka versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – a 185% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 22% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 185% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.