Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dong Xoai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
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Dong Xoai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$784

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Dong Xoai vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dong Xoai $784
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,254 per month in Dong Xoai vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,254
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,724 per month in Dong Xoai vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,724
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Dong Xoai is about 35% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dong Xoai and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Dong Xoai 42% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₫52.7K

$10.92 MX$204

-81.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.01 ₫491.0K

$43.37 MX$810

-56.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₫113.4K

$11.78 MX$220

-62.73%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.3K

$3.81 MX$71.2

-55.12%

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

$0.54 ₫14.1K

$1.28 MX$23.96

-57.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,595

$0.78 MX$14.63

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ₫22.3K

$3.17 MX$59.2

-72.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₫38.8K

$4.93 MX$92.2

-69.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₫40.1K

$1.41 MX$26.28

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$2.22 MX$41.43

-51.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$1.42 MX$26.48

-26.76%

Eggs

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.52 MX$47.14

-40.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 ₫317.7K

$7.26 MX$136

69.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ₫98.5K

$7.70 MX$144

-50.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 ₫249.9K

$12.69 MX$237

-23.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₫77.2K

$2.78 MX$52.0

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$1.37 MX$25.56

-19.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.6K

$2.55 MX$47.66

-45.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.6K

$2.12 MX$39.67

-42.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.94 MX$36.22

-48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ₫29.2K

$1.89 MX$35.24

-40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₫17.2K

$1.15 MX$21.42

-41.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$1.18 MX$22.03

-51.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.39 ₫36.0K

$4.30 MX$80.3

-67.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 ₫299.6K

$9.95 MX$186

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$1.58 MX$29.59

-43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$2.67 MX$49.91

-37.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,886

$0.55 MX$10.34

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.52 ₫168.5K

$26.62 MX$497

-75.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.5K

$4.97 MX$92.9

-84.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$3.33 MX$62.2

-81.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 ₫65.2K

$5.36 MX$100

-52.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$1.44 MX$26.98

-35.42%

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

$31.3K ₫807.6M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

51.29%

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

$28.4K ₫734.8M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

21.22%

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

$78.3 ₫2.0M

$84.8 MX$1,584

-7.62%

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

$5.93 ₫153.3K

$23.41 MX$437

-74.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.75 ₫226.0K

$28.66 MX$535

-69.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 ₫599.5K

$57.1 MX$1,066

-59.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.54 ₫194.7K

$28.91 MX$540

-73.92%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 ₫86.1K

$5.14 MX$96.0

-35.21%

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

$191 ₫4.9M

$207 MX$3,860

-7.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K ₫358.4M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

253.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.29 ₫1.2M

$43.35 MX$810

6.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.86 ₫693.9K

$41.44 MX$774

-35.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 ₫2.2M

$74.2 MX$1,386

12.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 ₫2.0M

$89.3 MX$1,668

-11.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ₫10.7M

$980 MX$18.3K

-57.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₫7.3M

$381 MX$7,116

-25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₫20.6M

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-53.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₫16.2M

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-41.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,258 ₫58.3M

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-42.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,202 ₫31.0M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-80.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

11.45

-27.69%

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

Last update for Dong Xoai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dong Xoai

$282 36%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 34.9% $98

Groceries & Markets

Dong Xoai

$200 25.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 27.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Dong Xoai

$106 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.6% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dong Xoai

$93 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 47.1% $44

Eating Out

Dong Xoai

$61 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 232% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Dong Xoai

$30 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 125% $37

Getting Around

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 333% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Dong Xoai versus $980 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dong Xoai versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $255 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

11:08 11:08 AM

12 h behind Dong Xoai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dong Xoai Playa del Carmen 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $784 in Dong Xoai, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Dong Xoai and $1,806 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 Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $784 in Dong Xoai and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 54%.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dong Xoai, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Dong Xoai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dong Xoai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Dong Xoai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 54% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.