Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua Hin and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua Hin: $1,043 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Hua Hin
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Hua Hin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Hua Hin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,043

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,043 per month in Hua Hin vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hua Hin $1,043
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,626 per month in Hua Hin vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hua Hin $1,626
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,209 per month in Hua Hin vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hua Hin $2,209
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Hua Hin is about 14% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hua Hin and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Hua Hin 23% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 ฿106

$10.76 MX$199

-70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ฿731

$43.03 MX$795

-49.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 ฿246

$11.79 MX$218

-37.57%

Cappuccino

$2.11 ฿70.4

$3.87 MX$71.4

-45.48%

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

$0.75 ฿25.03

$1.37 MX$25.29

-45.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.42

$0.84 MX$15.44

-55.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ฿69.0

$3.10 MX$57.3

-33.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿98.0

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.44 MX$26.55

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ฿42.42

$2.23 MX$41.23

-43.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.67

$1.47 MX$27.17

-12.93%

Eggs

$1.91 ฿63.8

$2.53 MX$46.71

-24.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ฿409

$7.30 MX$135

67.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.2

$7.86 MX$145

-68.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 ฿536

$12.79 MX$236

25.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.90 MX$53.6

23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ฿31.57

$1.44 MX$26.53

-34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ฿78.7

$2.55 MX$47.07

-7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.6

$2.06 MX$38.03

-23.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 ฿68.3

$2.00 MX$36.97

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿34.97

$2.01 MX$37.07

-47.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.25

$1.19 MX$22.02

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.01

$1.26 MX$23.23

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ฿150

$4.40 MX$81.4

1.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 ฿477

$9.59 MX$177

48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.59 MX$29.41

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿59.7

$2.81 MX$51.9

-36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ฿14.43

$0.57 MX$10.47

-24.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 ฿1,954

$27.82 MX$514

110.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.98 MX$92.1

-52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$3.50 MX$64.6

-54.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ฿295

$5.40 MX$99.8

63.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.93

$1.47 MX$27.08

-2.72%

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

$16.4K ฿546.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-22.07%

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

$27.0K ฿904.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

13.14%

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

$81.5 ฿2,724

$84.2 MX$1,556

-3.21%

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

$9.12 ฿305

$23.99 MX$443

-61.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.41 ฿782

$29.02 MX$536

-19.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.99 ฿1,571

$63.0 MX$1,164

-25.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.69 ฿792

$29.14 MX$539

-18.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$4.94 MX$91.3

29.76%

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

$724 ฿24.2K

$204 MX$3,763

255.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿362.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

175.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.96 ฿199

$43.60 MX$806

-86.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.01 ฿1,203

$43.12 MX$797

-16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ฿2,366

$75.8 MX$1,400

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 ฿1,783

$88.6 MX$1,637

-39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 ฿19.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-42.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ฿13.2K

$374 MX$6,911

5.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 ฿45.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-19.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ฿26.8K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-27.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 ฿60.3K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-54.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 ฿47.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-76.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$468 ฿15.6K

$754 MX$13.9K

-37.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

11.45

-44.98%

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

Last update for Hua Hin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hua Hin

$395 37.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 5.4% $21

Groceries & Markets

Hua Hin

$236 22.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 9.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua Hin

$114 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 20.3% $23

Eating Out

Hua Hin

$94 9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 116% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Hua Hin

$75 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 51.2% $38

Getting Around

Hua Hin

$70 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 25.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Hua Hin

$60 5.7%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 21.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $579 in Hua Hin versus $1,008 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 61% 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 $22.00 in Hua Hin versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $258 – making Hua Hin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hua Hin

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

12 h behind Hua Hin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,169

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hua Hin Playa del Carmen 16,240 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Hua Hin
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 16% more than Hua Hin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,565 per month in Hua Hin and $1,816 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 Hua Hin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,043 in Hua Hin and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 110% less in Hua Hin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hua Hin, where all-in costs run around $1,043, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Hua Hin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hua Hin costs $1,043 versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Hua Hin. 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.