Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phi Phi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,062 in Koh Phi Phi, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phi Phi
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Koh Phi Phi Living Index
57

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

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Koh Phi Phi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,062

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,062 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $2,062
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,686 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $3,686
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,310 per month in Koh Phi Phi vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Koh Phi Phi $5,310
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Koh Phi Phi costs about 72% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Koh Phi Phi sits 53% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 ฿221

$10.67 MX$199

-38.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.53 ฿1,632

$43.80 MX$815

10.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.05 ฿439

$11.79 MX$219

10.69%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ฿143

$3.79 MX$70.5

11.87%

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

$1.42 ฿47.62

$1.30 MX$24.14

9.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ฿25.57

$0.83 MX$15.51

-8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.15 MX$58.6

16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 ฿192

$4.93 MX$91.8

15.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.41 MX$26.22

45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.20 MX$40.86

-20.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$1.47 MX$27.40

29.25%

Eggs

$2.53 ฿85.2

$2.50 MX$46.47

1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.28 ฿783

$7.29 MX$136

219.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ฿133

$7.95 MX$148

-50.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 ฿451

$12.86 MX$239

4.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ฿119

$2.90 MX$53.9

21.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.4

$1.38 MX$25.74

41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.0

$2.49 MX$46.36

7.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 ฿83.3

$2.03 MX$37.78

22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ฿60.3

$2.02 MX$37.69

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ฿55.2

$1.90 MX$35.42

-13.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ฿45.35

$1.14 MX$21.30

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ฿21.06

$1.24 MX$23.06

-49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ฿172

$4.27 MX$79.5

19.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.54 ฿758

$9.81 MX$183

129.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 ฿74.4

$1.59 MX$29.51

38.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿115

$2.75 MX$51.1

24.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$0.51 MX$9.58

298.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 ฿2,640

$27.39 MX$510

186.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ฿69.2

$4.76 MX$88.6

-56.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$3.25 MX$60.5

-67.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 ฿179

$5.39 MX$100

-1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿69.4

$1.53 MX$28.44

34.64%

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

$37.4K ฿1.3M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

76.38%

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

$36.7K ฿1.2M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

57.78%

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

$107 ฿3,608

$83.5 MX$1,554

28.54%

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

$12.35 ฿415

$23.19 MX$431

-46.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.80 ฿632

$27.61 MX$514

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.2 ฿2,663

$56.4 MX$1,050

40.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.05 ฿439

$28.19 MX$525

-53.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 ฿303

$5.00 MX$93.1

80.00%

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

$629 ฿21.2K

$207 MX$3,854

203.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K ฿762.0K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

333.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 ฿2,193

$43.45 MX$809

50.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.28 ฿1,018

$42.54 MX$792

-28.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ฿3,369

$72.8 MX$1,354

37.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ฿3,061

$88.4 MX$1,645

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 ฿53.0K

$995 MX$18.5K

58.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ฿37.0K

$382 MX$7,116

187.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,325 ฿145.4K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

158.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,154 ฿106.0K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

191.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,241 ฿310.7K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

136.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,228 ฿243.0K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

17.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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 Phi Phi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phi Phi

$1.1K 53.4%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 65.2% $718

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phi Phi

$322 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 20.2% $65

Eating Out

Koh Phi Phi

$181 8.8%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 10.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phi Phi

$138 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 3% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phi Phi

$129 6.3%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 13.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phi Phi

$97 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 31.7% $31

Getting Around

Koh Phi Phi

$94 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 46.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,576 in Koh Phi Phi versus $995 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 $49 in Koh Phi Phi versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phi Phi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

08:32 8:32 AM

12 h behind Koh Phi Phi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Phi Phi Playa del Carmen 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,062 in Koh Phi Phi, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,093 per month in Koh Phi Phi and $1,804 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,576 in Koh Phi Phi.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Koh Phi Phi 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Koh Phi Phi at $2,062. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Phi Phi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.