Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampong Thom and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Thom: $627 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Thom
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Kampong Thom Living Index
58

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

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Kampong Thom

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$627

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $627 per month in Kampong Thom vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kampong Thom $627
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,019 per month in Kampong Thom vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kampong Thom $1,019
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,410 per month in Kampong Thom vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Kampong Thom $1,410
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kampong Thom is about 48% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kampong Thom and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Kampong Thom 54% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 ៛18.1K

$10.92 MX$204

-59.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.53 ៛165.1K

$43.37 MX$810

-6.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 ៛27.9K

$11.78 MX$220

-41.94%

Cappuccino

$2.82 ៛11.5K

$3.81 MX$71.2

-25.98%

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

$1.71 ៛6,965

$1.28 MX$23.96

33.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,485

$0.78 MX$14.63

-21.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ៛4,014

$3.17 MX$59.2

-68.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ៛12.4K

$4.93 MX$92.2

-38.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ៛8,898

$1.41 MX$26.28

54.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,756

$2.22 MX$41.43

-25.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ៛4,393

$1.42 MX$26.48

-23.94%

Eggs

$1.80 ៛7,318

$2.52 MX$47.14

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 ៛59.2K

$7.26 MX$136

100.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 ៛18.5K

$7.70 MX$144

-41.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 ៛38.5K

$12.69 MX$237

-25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 ៛17.1K

$2.78 MX$52.0

51.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,907

$1.37 MX$25.56

24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 ៛18.9K

$2.55 MX$47.66

82.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ៛8,098

$2.12 MX$39.67

-6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ៛7,296

$1.94 MX$36.22

-7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 ៛4,985

$1.89 MX$35.24

-35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ៛5,383

$1.15 MX$21.42

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,120

$1.18 MX$22.03

-34.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,569

$4.30 MX$80.3

-56.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 ៛45.5K

$9.95 MX$186

12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,085

$1.58 MX$29.59

-36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ៛7,001

$2.67 MX$49.91

-35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,453

$4.97 MX$92.9

-78.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ៛3,963

$3.33 MX$62.2

-70.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 ៛20.0K

$5.36 MX$100

-8.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ៛5,597

$1.44 MX$26.98

-4.86%

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

$35.7K ៛145.3M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

72.62%

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

$43.8K ៛178.6M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

86.84%

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

$119 ៛486.8K

$84.8 MX$1,584

40.91%

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

$7.48 ៛30.5K

$23.41 MX$437

-68.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.05 ៛102.1K

$28.66 MX$535

-12.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.3K

$5.14 MX$96.0

-3.31%

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

$597 ៛2.4M

$207 MX$3,860

189.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ៛44.5M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

177.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.52 ៛112.1K

$43.35 MX$810

-36.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.75 ៛96.7K

$41.44 MX$774

-42.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛373.8K

$74.2 MX$1,386

23.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ៛244.5K

$89.3 MX$1,668

-32.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

11.45

-30.66%

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

Last update for Kampong Thom: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kampong Thom

$257 41.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampong Thom

$152 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 10% $15

Eating Out

Kampong Thom

$110 17.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 83.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Kampong Thom

$91 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kampong Thom

$10 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 577% $57

Getting Around

Kampong Thom

$6 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 747% $44

Accommodation & Living

Kampong Thom

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Kampong Thom versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Kampong Thom vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Kampong Thom

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

05:22 5:22 AM

12 h behind Kampong Thom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,951

149,923

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,534 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.21 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 KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kampong Thom Playa del Carmen 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $940 per month in Kampong Thom and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Kampong Thom and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Kampong Thom and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kampong Thom, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Kampong Thom 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 $627 in Kampong Thom to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.