Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lanta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $926 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lanta
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Koh Lanta Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Koh Lanta

🇹🇭 Thailand

$926

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $926 in Koh Lanta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Lanta $926
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Koh Lanta versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Lanta $1,533
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,140 in Koh Lanta versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Lanta $2,140
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Koh Lanta costs roughly 23% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Lanta 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 ฿123

$10.86 MX$201

-66.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.60 ฿856

$44.21 MX$817

-42.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 ฿229

$11.76 MX$217

-41.84%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ฿72.4

$3.68 MX$68.0

-41.03%

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

$0.71 ฿23.88

$1.34 MX$24.79

-47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.07

$0.82 MX$15.24

-52.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$3.06 MX$56.6

-33.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.94 MX$91.2

-39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.70

$1.47 MX$27.17

1.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ฿42.06

$2.22 MX$40.95

-43.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 ฿47.40

$1.48 MX$27.32

-4.05%

Eggs

$1.90 ฿63.3

$2.49 MX$45.99

-23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.56 ฿587

$7.52 MX$139

133.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.01 ฿101

$7.96 MX$147

-62.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ฿335

$12.57 MX$232

-20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 ฿89.9

$2.78 MX$51.3

-3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.43 MX$26.37

6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ฿67.2

$2.62 MX$48.37

-23.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿64.4

$2.14 MX$39.49

-9.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.84

$2.02 MX$37.38

-35.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.12

$1.99 MX$36.74

-39.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ฿32.05

$1.14 MX$21.01

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.52

$1.20 MX$22.18

-61.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ฿129

$4.26 MX$78.7

-9.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.97 ฿567

$10.02 MX$185

69.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ฿52.5

$1.54 MX$28.41

1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ฿87.3

$2.66 MX$49.17

-1.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.53 MX$9.73

228.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 ฿81.5

$4.90 MX$90.6

-50.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ฿29.02

$3.43 MX$63.5

-74.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 ฿100

$5.38 MX$99.4

-44.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ฿39.53

$1.45 MX$26.76

-18.62%

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

$21.1K ฿703.8K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-0.47%

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

$21.7K ฿723.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-5.94%

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

$92.0 ฿3,073

$85.4 MX$1,577

7.72%

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

$10.61 ฿355

$23.46 MX$434

-54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.26 ฿543

$28.43 MX$525

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 ฿1,504

$62.2 MX$1,149

-27.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.18 ฿307

$28.68 MX$530

-67.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ฿213

$5.10 MX$94.3

24.71%

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

$505 ฿16.9K

$201 MX$3,715

151.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ฿350.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

165.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 ฿2,016

$44.39 MX$820

35.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.86 ฿898

$41.35 MX$764

-35.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 ฿3,025

$72.7 MX$1,344

24.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 ฿2,795

$89.6 MX$1,656

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 ฿14.7K

$979 MX$18.1K

-55.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ฿9,358

$373 MX$6,887

-24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 ฿42.1K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-33.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,074 ฿69.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-47.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,493 ฿49.9K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-75.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 Lanta: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Lanta

$280 30.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 33.1% $93

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lanta

$242 26.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 6.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lanta

$119 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 15.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lanta

$118 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.1% $6

Eating Out

Koh Lanta

$97 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 107% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lanta

$58 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 25.4% $15

Getting Around

Koh Lanta

$14 * 1.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 276% $38

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 $440 in Koh Lanta and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Koh Lanta vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $258 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lanta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

05:52 5:52 AM

12 h behind Koh Lanta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,000

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 20, 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 20, 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

Koh Lanta Playa del Carmen 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Koh Lanta and Playa del Carmen differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($926 vs $1,204 including rent). Koh Lanta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,389 in Koh Lanta and $1,806 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: $440 in Koh Lanta versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Koh Lanta versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $926 in Koh Lanta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Lanta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Lanta 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, Koh Lanta 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 Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.