Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khlong Luang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khlong Luang: $952 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Khlong Luang
Learn more

Khlong Luang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Khlong Luang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$952

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Khlong Luang versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Khlong Luang $952
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Khlong Luang versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Khlong Luang $1,575
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,198 in Khlong Luang versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Khlong Luang $2,198
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Khlong Luang costs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Khlong Luang 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 ฿118

$10.76 MX$199

-67.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.21 ฿1,210

$43.03 MX$795

-15.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 ฿304

$11.79 MX$218

-22.90%

Cappuccino

$2.05 ฿68.7

$3.87 MX$71.4

-47.03%

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

$0.69 ฿23.12

$1.37 MX$25.29

-49.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.02

$0.84 MX$15.44

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.4

$3.10 MX$57.3

-24.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿89.8

$5.07 MX$93.6

-46.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.3

$1.44 MX$26.55

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.89

$2.23 MX$41.23

-34.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.41

$1.47 MX$27.17

-7.48%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿73.7

$2.53 MX$46.71

-12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.41 ฿515

$7.30 MX$135

111.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ฿88.9

$7.86 MX$145

-66.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 ฿332

$12.79 MX$236

-22.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿112

$2.90 MX$53.6

15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.90

$1.44 MX$26.53

-17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ฿64.5

$2.55 MX$47.07

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$2.06 MX$38.03

-4.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.92

$2.00 MX$36.97

-39.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.89

$2.01 MX$37.07

-48.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ฿41.81

$1.19 MX$22.02

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.73

$1.26 MX$23.23

-65.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿143

$4.40 MX$81.4

-2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.90 ฿598

$9.59 MX$177

86.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.59 MX$29.41

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿97.0

$2.81 MX$51.9

3.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ฿30.57

$0.57 MX$10.47

59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ฿44.13

$4.98 MX$92.1

-73.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.73

$3.50 MX$64.6

-67.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ฿121

$5.40 MX$99.8

-33.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.63

$1.47 MX$27.08

1.36%

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

$45.4K ฿1.5M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

116.42%

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

$26.9K ฿899.7K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

12.61%

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

$91.4 ฿3,053

$84.2 MX$1,556

8.48%

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

$11.41 ฿381

$23.99 MX$443

-52.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.33 ฿646

$29.02 MX$536

-33.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.86 ฿1,566

$63.0 MX$1,164

-25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 ฿466

$29.14 MX$539

-52.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 ฿250

$4.94 MX$91.3

51.21%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$204 MX$3,763

202.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿473.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

259.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ฿1,711

$43.60 MX$806

17.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.51 ฿986

$43.12 MX$797

-31.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 ฿3,136

$75.8 MX$1,400

23.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ฿2,533

$88.6 MX$1,637

-14.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ฿14.7K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-56.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ฿10.0K

$374 MX$6,911

-19.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 ฿46.8K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-18.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.5K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-33.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,955 ฿65.3K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-50.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,596 ฿53.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-74.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

11.45

-47.95%

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

Last update for Khlong Luang: October 11, 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

Khlong Luang

$300 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 24.5% $74

Groceries & Markets

Khlong Luang

$243 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 6.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khlong Luang

$122 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 12.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Khlong Luang

$113 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 0.3% $0.3

Eating Out

Khlong Luang

$101 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 99.9% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Khlong Luang

$62 6.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.9% $11

Getting Around

Khlong Luang

$11 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 395% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Khlong Luang and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Khlong Luang vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $258 per month, with Khlong Luang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Khlong Luang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

12 h behind Khlong Luang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,551

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Khlong Luang Playa del Carmen 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Khlong Luang
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

Khlong Luang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khlong Luang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,428 in Khlong Luang 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Khlong Luang versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $952 per month in Khlong Luang versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $952 in Khlong Luang versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khlong Luang but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Khlong Luang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Khlong Luang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Khlong Luang 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 Khlong Luang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.