Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,103 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
Learn more

Koh Phangan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Phangan $1,103
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Phangan $1,874
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Koh Phangan $2,646
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 8% 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 Phangan 19% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$10.92 MX$205

-64.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿978

$43.37 MX$814

-33.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$11.78 MX$221

-33.11%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.1

$3.81 MX$71.5

-35.43%

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

$0.80 ฿27.04

$1.28 MX$24.07

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.89

$0.78 MX$14.70

-43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$3.17 MX$59.5

-29.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$4.93 MX$92.7

-33.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.6

$1.41 MX$26.40

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.55

$2.22 MX$41.62

-37.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.42 MX$26.61

1.41%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.3

$2.52 MX$47.36

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿623

$7.26 MX$136

154.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$7.70 MX$144

-57.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$12.69 MX$238

-15.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.7

$2.78 MX$52.3

-2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿52.0

$1.37 MX$25.68

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.8

$2.55 MX$47.89

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.2

$2.12 MX$39.86

-8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.59

$1.94 MX$36.39

-25.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.64

$1.89 MX$35.41

-34.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.15 MX$21.53

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.04

$1.18 MX$22.13

-59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$4.30 MX$80.6

-6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$9.95 MX$187

79.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.4

$1.58 MX$29.73

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.5

$2.67 MX$50.1

-0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.60

$0.55 MX$10.39

140.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,656

$26.62 MX$500

84.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.2

$4.97 MX$93.3

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.41

$3.33 MX$62.5

-71.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$5.36 MX$101

-38.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.95

$1.44 MX$27.11

-7.64%

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

$23.5K ฿794.5K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

13.94%

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

$23.7K ฿798.8K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

0.89%

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

$98.0 ฿3,308

$84.8 MX$1,592

15.62%

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

$11.12 ฿375

$23.41 MX$439

-52.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿571

$28.66 MX$538

-40.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,284

$57.1 MX$1,071

18.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿365

$28.91 MX$543

-62.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$5.14 MX$96.5

49.42%

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

$478 ฿16.1K

$207 MX$3,878

131.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.4K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

195.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,096

$43.35 MX$814

43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿962

$41.44 MX$778

-31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,240

$74.2 MX$1,393

29.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,919

$89.3 MX$1,676

-3.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$980 MX$18.4K

-49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$381 MX$7,150

-8.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.5K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-21.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-6.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.8K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-25.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.8K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-65.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

-1.47%

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 Phangan: October 25, 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 Phangan

$348 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 9.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 8.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $11

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 89.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.9% $16

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Koh Phangan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $255 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

19:10 7:10 PM

12 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Playa del Carmen 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,103 in Koh Phangan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Koh Phangan is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,654 in Koh Phangan 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: $498 in Koh Phangan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 46% less than in Koh Phangan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Koh Phangan is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koh Phangan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.