Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Koh Chang vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,021
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Koh Chang vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,720
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,418 per month in Koh Chang vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Chang $2,418
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Koh Chang is about 15% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Koh Chang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Koh Chang 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 ฿117

$10.92 MX$205

-68.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.30 ฿887

$43.37 MX$814

-39.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ฿238

$11.78 MX$221

-40.24%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ฿73.5

$3.81 MX$71.5

-42.78%

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

$0.75 ฿25.32

$1.28 MX$24.07

-41.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.34

$0.78 MX$14.70

-52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ฿67.7

$3.17 MX$59.5

-36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿101

$4.93 MX$92.7

-39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.99

$1.41 MX$26.40

4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿42.30

$2.22 MX$41.62

-43.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.38

$1.42 MX$26.61

-3.52%

Eggs

$1.89 ฿63.7

$2.52 MX$47.36

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿583

$7.26 MX$136

138.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ฿103

$7.70 MX$144

-60.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 ฿344

$12.69 MX$238

-19.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.5

$2.78 MX$52.3

-3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$1.37 MX$25.68

11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.55 MX$47.89

-23.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ฿62.4

$2.12 MX$39.86

-12.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.64

$1.94 MX$36.39

-33.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$1.89 MX$35.41

-34.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.03

$1.15 MX$21.53

-12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.18 MX$22.13

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.30 MX$80.6

-12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.75 ฿565

$9.95 MX$187

68.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ฿52.7

$1.58 MX$29.73

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ฿83.0

$2.67 MX$50.1

-7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ฿40.90

$0.55 MX$10.39

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.34 ฿1,294

$26.62 MX$500

44.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.9

$4.97 MX$93.3

-51.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ฿28.76

$3.33 MX$62.5

-74.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.36 MX$101

-45.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ฿38.46

$1.44 MX$27.11

-20.83%

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

$21.7K ฿732.9K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

5.11%

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

$20.9K ฿706.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

-10.73%

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

$94.6 ฿3,190

$84.8 MX$1,592

11.52%

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

$10.67 ฿360

$23.41 MX$439

-54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.02 ฿540

$28.66 MX$538

-44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ฿1,957

$57.1 MX$1,071

1.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 ฿304

$28.91 MX$543

-68.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.14 MX$96.5

26.26%

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

$422 ฿14.2K

$207 MX$3,878

104.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ฿343.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

159.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 ฿2,035

$43.35 MX$814

39.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.66 ฿900

$41.44 MX$778

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ฿3,014

$74.2 MX$1,393

20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ฿2,750

$89.3 MX$1,676

-8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.8K

$980 MX$18.4K

-52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ฿11.0K

$381 MX$7,150

-14.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ฿43.6K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 ฿30.9K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-14.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,704 ฿91.2K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-31.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ฿64.2K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-69.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.45

-51.35%

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

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Chang

$327 32%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 16.4% $54

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$240 23.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 12.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$116 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$95 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 112% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$71 7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 5.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$50 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 1.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Koh Chang versus $980 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 $26 in Koh Chang versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $255 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

04:07 4:07 AM

12 h behind Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Chang Playa del Carmen 16,240 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
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

Koh Chang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Koh Chang, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Koh Chang comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Koh Chang and $1,806 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 Koh Chang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Koh Chang and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,021 in Koh Chang and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Koh Chang to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.