Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha Long and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long: $759 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
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Ha Long Living Index
60

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

Jump to prices

Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$759

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $759 per month in Ha Long vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ha Long $759
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Ha Long vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ha Long $1,223
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $1,686 per month in Ha Long vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ha Long $1,686
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Ha Long is about 38% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ha Long and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ha Long 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₫47.5K

$10.97 MX$200

-83.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.93 ₫490.8K

$44.85 MX$819

-57.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ₫113.1K

$11.92 MX$218

-63.42%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ₫46.9K

$3.80 MX$69.5

-52.37%

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

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$1.31 MX$23.95

-56.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,775

$0.86 MX$15.63

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ₫20.6K

$3.21 MX$58.6

-75.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₫33.9K

$5.01 MX$91.5

-73.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₫43.6K

$1.46 MX$26.62

15.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$2.33 MX$42.48

-55.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.44 MX$26.34

-22.92%

Eggs

$1.66 ₫43.2K

$2.46 MX$44.94

-32.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.7K

$7.70 MX$141

37.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ₫106.9K

$7.89 MX$144

-47.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 ₫226.8K

$12.80 MX$234

-31.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.2K

$2.92 MX$53.3

-6.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.42 MX$25.96

-19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 ₫29.4K

$2.57 MX$46.84

-56.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$2.14 MX$39.02

-41.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.95 MX$35.55

-45.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.94 MX$35.35

-41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₫16.5K

$1.15 MX$21.01

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₫13.0K

$1.22 MX$22.29

-59.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$4.38 MX$79.9

-65.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.62 ₫301.3K

$9.85 MX$180

17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₫23.8K

$1.54 MX$28.07

-40.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.72 MX$49.58

-40.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫8,162

$0.52 MX$9.58

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.09 ₫157.9K

$27.42 MX$501

-77.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$4.91 MX$89.7

-86.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₫15.0K

$3.52 MX$64.3

-83.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₫55.4K

$5.69 MX$104

-62.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.54 MX$28.12

-42.21%

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

$34.5K ₫894.6M

$21.2K MX$387.8K

62.41%

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

$31.8K ₫825.9M

$24.5K MX$447.1K

30.05%

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

$77.6 ₫2.0M

$83.6 MX$1,527

-7.24%

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

$5.83 ₫151.2K

$24.03 MX$439

-75.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.24 ₫187.8K

$29.33 MX$536

-75.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.71 ₫511.1K

$64.9 MX$1,184

-69.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.29 ₫215.1K

$29.46 MX$538

-71.86%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₫75.4K

$5.09 MX$92.9

-42.83%

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

$165 ₫4.3M

$208 MX$3,792

-20.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K ₫366.6M

$4,045 MX$73.9K

249.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 ₫1.3M

$44.55 MX$813

16.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.66 ₫587.7K

$42.06 MX$768

-46.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ₫2.0M

$75.5 MX$1,379

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ₫1.9M

$91.4 MX$1,668

-21.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 ₫10.9M

$986 MX$18.0K

-57.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₫7.2M

$385 MX$7,033

-27.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₫20.1M

$1,713 MX$31.3K

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 ₫17.5M

$1,108 MX$20.2K

-39.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,212 ₫83.3M

$4,016 MX$73.3K

-20.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 ₫30.3M

$6,247 MX$114.1K

-81.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 ₫5.9M

$758 MX$13.8K

-69.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

11.45

-26.11%

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

Last update for Ha Long: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Ha Long

$278 36.7%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 38.7% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ha Long

$193 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 34.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Ha Long

$100 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 14.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha Long

$91 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 51.1% $46

Eating Out

Ha Long

$59 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 243% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Ha Long

$26 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 194% $50

Getting Around

Ha Long

$11 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 376% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Ha Long versus $986 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.

Salaries run about 232% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ha Long versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $260 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

20:43 8:43 PM

12 h behind Ha Long

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,054

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 = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ha Long Playa del Carmen 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ha Long
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $759 in Ha Long, $1,215 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,138 per month in Ha Long and $1,823 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 Ha Long, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ha Long and $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $759 in Ha Long to $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ha Long. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.