Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Cham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Cham: $528 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Cham
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Kampong Cham Living Index
59

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

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Kampong Cham

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$528

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $528 in Kampong Cham versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampong Cham $528
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $827 in Kampong Cham versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampong Cham $827
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,126 in Kampong Cham versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampong Cham $1,126
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Kampong Cham costs roughly 56% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampong Cham 61% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.55 ៛10.3K

$10.76 MX$199

-76.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.86 ៛80.7K

$43.03 MX$795

-53.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 ៛31.9K

$11.79 MX$218

-33.42%

Cappuccino

$1.46 ៛5,924

$3.87 MX$71.4

-62.27%

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

$0.48 ៛1,969

$1.37 MX$25.29

-64.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ៛1,834

$0.84 MX$15.44

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.49 ៛1,970

$3.10 MX$57.3

-84.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ៛6,176

$5.07 MX$93.6

-70.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ៛8,987

$1.44 MX$26.55

53.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ៛7,035

$2.23 MX$41.23

-22.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ៛3,586

$1.47 MX$27.17

-40.14%

Eggs

$1.71 ៛6,955

$2.53 MX$46.71

-32.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 ៛62.9K

$7.30 MX$135

112.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 ៛12.1K

$7.86 MX$145

-62.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 ៛41.5K

$12.79 MX$236

-20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 ៛17.8K

$2.90 MX$53.6

51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ៛4,955

$1.44 MX$26.53

-15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 ៛15.2K

$2.55 MX$47.07

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ៛4,469

$2.06 MX$38.03

-46.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ៛5,237

$2.00 MX$36.97

-35.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,526

$2.01 MX$37.07

-44.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,300

$1.19 MX$22.02

9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ៛3,248

$1.26 MX$23.23

-36.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.36 ៛5,508

$4.40 MX$81.4

-69.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 ៛31.8K

$9.59 MX$177

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,043

$1.59 MX$29.41

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ៛8,977

$2.81 MX$51.9

-21.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ៛8,038

$4.98 MX$92.1

-60.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ៛4,158

$3.50 MX$64.6

-70.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 ៛20.1K

$5.40 MX$99.8

-8.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,281

$1.47 MX$27.08

-11.56%

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

$25.5K ៛103.5M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

21.41%

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

$22.1K ៛89.9M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-7.46%

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

$103 ៛420.4K

$84.2 MX$1,556

22.90%

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

$5.58 ៛22.7K

$23.99 MX$443

-76.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.22 ៛61.8K

$29.02 MX$536

-47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.94 ៛40.4K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-84.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 ៛20.7K

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.24%

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

$277 ៛1.1M

$204 MX$3,763

36.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 ៛18.1M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.11 ៛106.1K

$43.60 MX$806

-40.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.23 ៛53.7K

$43.12 MX$797

-69.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 ៛275.4K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.90 ៛182.4K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

11.45

-19.65%

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

Last update for Kampong Cham: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kampong Cham

$238 45%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 8.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampong Cham

$124 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Kampong Cham

$71 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 186% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Kampong Cham

$68 13%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 65.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Kampong Cham

$20 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 262% $53

Getting Around

Kampong Cham

$7.1 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 640% $45

Accommodation & Living

Kampong Cham

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $20.00 in Kampong Cham vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $258 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Kampong Cham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

12 h behind Kampong Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,242

149,923

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 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 KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kampong Cham Playa del Carmen 16,140 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampong Cham
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

Kampong Cham vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampong Cham and Playa del Carmen differ by about 129% in total monthly costs ($528 vs $1,210 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $792 in Kampong Cham and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $528 per month in Kampong Cham versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $528 in Kampong Cham versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kampong Cham but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kampong Cham 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, Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.