Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dong Hoi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Hoi: $779 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Hoi
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Dong Hoi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Dong Hoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $779 in Dong Hoi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Dong Hoi $779
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Dong Hoi versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Dong Hoi $1,225
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,671 in Dong Hoi versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Dong Hoi $1,671
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Dong Hoi costs roughly 35% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dong Hoi 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₫53.3K

$10.86 MX$201

-81.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₫495.5K

$44.21 MX$817

-56.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$11.76 MX$217

-69.98%

Cappuccino

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$3.68 MX$68.0

-72.01%

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

$0.32 ₫8,207

$1.34 MX$24.79

-76.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₫8,961

$0.82 MX$15.24

-57.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$3.06 MX$56.6

-82.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₫58.6K

$4.94 MX$91.2

-54.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.47 MX$27.17

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$2.22 MX$40.95

-59.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.48 MX$27.32

-30.41%

Eggs

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$2.49 MX$45.99

-38.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 ₫340.8K

$7.52 MX$139

75.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₫87.9K

$7.96 MX$147

-57.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫241.6K

$12.57 MX$232

-25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 ₫68.0K

$2.78 MX$51.3

-5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.3K

$1.43 MX$26.37

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.2K

$2.62 MX$48.37

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ₫40.9K

$2.14 MX$39.49

-26.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$2.02 MX$37.38

-43.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.7K

$1.99 MX$36.74

-34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$1.14 MX$21.01

-12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.6K

$1.20 MX$22.18

-59.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 ₫40.5K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-63.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₫200.8K

$10.02 MX$185

-22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₫21.2K

$1.54 MX$28.41

-46.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₫53.9K

$2.66 MX$49.17

-21.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₫9,744

$0.53 MX$9.73

-28.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.19 ₫160.2K

$27.51 MX$508

-77.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$4.90 MX$90.6

-78.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$3.43 MX$63.5

-82.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₫64.3K

$5.38 MX$99.4

-53.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$1.45 MX$26.76

-37.93%

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

$30.2K ₫782.1M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

42.79%

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

$27.9K ₫722.2M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

21.20%

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

$66.0 ₫1.7M

$85.4 MX$1,577

-22.74%

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

$6.21 ₫160.7K

$23.46 MX$434

-73.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.22 ₫212.9K

$28.43 MX$525

-71.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.91 ₫644.9K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-59.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.56 ₫195.7K

$28.68 MX$530

-73.64%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 ₫86.2K

$5.10 MX$94.3

-34.71%

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

$160 ₫4.2M

$201 MX$3,715

-20.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ₫388.1M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

279.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.26 ₫1.2M

$44.39 MX$820

4.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.48 ₫711.3K

$41.35 MX$764

-33.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₫2.6M

$72.7 MX$1,344

37.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 ₫2.1M

$89.6 MX$1,656

-8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ₫10.4M

$979 MX$18.1K

-58.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 ₫7.7M

$373 MX$6,887

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-56.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₫15.3M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-45.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,459 ₫63.7M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-37.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 ₫29.2M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-81.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$398 ₫10.3M

$738 MX$13.6K

-45.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-38.86%

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

Last update for Dong Hoi: October 17, 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

Dong Hoi

$299 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 24.8% $74

Groceries & Markets

Dong Hoi

$192 24.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 34.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Dong Hoi

$115 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.1% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dong Hoi

$80 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 70.7% $57

Eating Out

Dong Hoi

$49 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 307% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Dong Hoi

$32 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 129% $41

Getting Around

Dong Hoi

$12 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 342% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Dong Hoi and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 85% 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: $19.00 in Dong Hoi vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $258 per month, with Dong Hoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dong Hoi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

12 h behind Dong Hoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,601

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dong Hoi Playa del Carmen 15,520 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Dong Hoi
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

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

Dong Hoi and Playa del Carmen differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($779 vs $1,204 including rent). Dong Hoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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: $403 in Dong Hoi versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $779 per month in Dong Hoi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dong Hoi runs roughly 344% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $779 in Dong Hoi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dong Hoi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dong Hoi 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.

Safety-wise, Dong Hoi 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 Dong Hoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.