Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hai Duong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Duong: $791 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Hai Duong, Vietnam
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Hai Duong
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$791
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $791 per month in Hai Duong vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hai Duong $791
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,252 per month in Hai Duong vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hai Duong $1,252
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Hai Duong vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Hai Duong $1,712
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Hai Duong is about 34% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hai Duong and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Hai Duong 41% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 ₫48.0K
$10.67 MX$199
-82.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.69 ₫533.0K
$43.80 MX$815
-52.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.69 ₫120.8K
$11.79 MX$219
-60.22%
Cappuccino
$1.46 ₫37.5K
$3.79 MX$70.5
-61.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ₫11.1K
$1.30 MX$24.14
-66.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ₫7,240
$0.83 MX$15.51
-66.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.81 ₫20.8K
$3.15 MX$58.6
-74.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 ₫34.3K
$4.93 MX$91.8
-73.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₫40.3K
$1.41 MX$26.22
10.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 ₫23.4K
$2.20 MX$40.86
-58.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 ₫19.1K
$1.47 MX$27.40
-49.66%
Eggs
$1.43 ₫36.9K
$2.50 MX$46.47
-42.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.23 ₫340.7K
$7.29 MX$136
81.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.20 ₫108.2K
$7.95 MX$148
-47.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ₫280.4K
$12.86 MX$239
-15.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 ₫65.5K
$2.90 MX$53.9
-12.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ₫25.9K
$1.38 MX$25.74
-26.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 ₫32.1K
$2.49 MX$46.36
-49.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.98 ₫25.1K
$2.03 MX$37.78
-51.72%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 ₫22.2K
$2.02 MX$37.69
-57.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ₫31.0K
$1.90 MX$35.42
-36.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 ₫14.5K
$1.14 MX$21.30
-50.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₫16.0K
$1.24 MX$23.06
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.27 ₫32.8K
$4.27 MX$79.5
-70.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.82 ₫175.6K
$9.81 MX$183
-30.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₫24.9K
$1.59 MX$29.51
-38.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 ₫37.2K
$2.75 MX$51.1
-47.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ₫9,167
$0.51 MX$9.58
-29.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.84 ₫202.0K
$27.39 MX$510
-71.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 ₫22.5K
$4.76 MX$88.6
-81.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 ₫17.1K
$3.25 MX$60.5
-79.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ₫60.5K
$5.39 MX$100
-56.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 ₫25.7K
$1.53 MX$28.44
-34.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K ₫895.5M
$21.2K MX$394.8K
63.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K ₫732.6M
$23.3K MX$432.9K
22.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.9 ₫2.0M
$83.5 MX$1,554
-6.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.13 ₫132.2K
$23.19 MX$431
-77.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.55 ₫246.0K
$27.61 MX$514
-65.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.02 ₫567.2K
$56.4 MX$1,050
-60.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.81 ₫201.2K
$28.19 MX$525
-72.30%
Cinema Ticket
$3.54 ₫91.1K
$5.00 MX$93.1
-29.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$362 ₫9.3M
$207 MX$3,854
74.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ₫413.7M
$5,231 MX$97.4K
207.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.54 ₫1.1M
$43.45 MX$809
-4.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.75 ₫766.3K
$42.54 MX$792
-30.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.3 ₫1.9M
$72.8 MX$1,354
0.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$65.5 ₫1.7M
$88.4 MX$1,645
-25.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$403 ₫10.4M
$995 MX$18.5K
-59.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$314 ₫8.1M
$382 MX$7,116
-17.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 ₫15.0M
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-65.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₫16.8M
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-39.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,316 ₫59.7M
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-40.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,382 ₫35.6M
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-77.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hai Duong
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.17
11.45
-28.65%

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

Last update for Hai Duong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hai Duong
$314
Playa del Carmen
$382 21.8% $68
Groceries & Markets
Hai Duong
$191
Playa del Carmen
$257 34.5% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Hai Duong
$95
Playa del Carmen
$111 17.6% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Duong
$93
Playa del Carmen
$134 45.1% $42
Eating Out
Hai Duong
$56
Playa del Carmen
$200 258% $144
Sport & Entertainment
Hai Duong
$29
Playa del Carmen
$66 128% $37
Getting Around
Hai Duong
$13
Playa del Carmen
$50 275% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Hai Duong versus $995 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 $21 in Hai Duong versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $257 – making Hai Duong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Hai Duong
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
04:49 4:49 AM
16:49 4:49 PM
12 h behind Hai Duong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
312,606
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hai Duong Playa del Carmen 15,170 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hai Duong
  • 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
Hai Duong vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hai Duong cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,186 per month in Hai Duong and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hai Duong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $362 per month in Hai Duong and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Hai Duong and in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Hai Duong or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hai Duong, where all-in costs run around $791, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Hai Duong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Hai Duong or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $791 in Hai Duong to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Hai Duong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Hai Duong vs other spots: cost of living compared

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