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

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Koh Samui is 16.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 0.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Koh Samui is 3.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 2.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.51 เธฟ142
$11.88 MX$210
-62.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.38 เธฟ1,458
$41.90 MX$740
10.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.86 เธฟ279
$10.55 MX$186
-16.02%
Cappuccino
$3.07 เธฟ96.7
$3.60 MX$63.5
-14.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 เธฟ21.99
$1.50 MX$26.45
-53.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 เธฟ12.27
$0.91 MX$16.09
-57.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 เธฟ78.0
$3.08 MX$54.4
-19.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 เธฟ118
$4.47 MX$78.8
-15.88%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 เธฟ68.2
$1.39 MX$24.54
56.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 เธฟ57.5
$1.90 MX$33.47
-3.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 เธฟ71.0
$1.60 MX$28.27
41.25%
Eggs
$2.25 เธฟ70.7
$2.60 MX$45.97
-13.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.49 เธฟ613
$8.36 MX$148
133.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.61 เธฟ114
$8.64 MX$152
-58.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 เธฟ410
$10.91 MX$192
19.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 เธฟ106
$2.61 MX$45.98
28.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 เธฟ52.9
$1.44 MX$25.46
16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 เธฟ74.2
$1.96 MX$34.55
20.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 เธฟ64.5
$2.12 MX$37.34
-3.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 เธฟ50.8
$1.86 MX$32.87
-12.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 เธฟ44.98
$2.22 MX$39.20
-35.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 เธฟ31.85
$1.02 MX$17.99
-0.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 เธฟ16.47
$1.04 MX$18.36
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 เธฟ138
$4.05 MX$71.5
8.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.58 เธฟ647
$10.18 MX$180
102.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 เธฟ56.5
$1.69 MX$29.79
6.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 เธฟ84.3
$2.62 MX$46.25
2.29%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 เธฟ47.28
$0.51 MX$9.09
194.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.33 เธฟ1,457
$26.52 MX$468
74.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.19 เธฟ100
$3.15 MX$55.7
1.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 เธฟ34.20
$2.46 MX$43.49
-55.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.34 เธฟ451
$3.26 MX$57.5
339.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 เธฟ44.85
$1.32 MX$23.36
8.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K เธฟ884.2K
$30.1K MX$531.0K
-6.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K เธฟ1.1M
$23.8K MX$419.3K
42.15%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 เธฟ3,983
$83.5 MX$1,474
51.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.12 เธฟ444
$22.86 MX$404
-38.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 เธฟ614
$30.04 MX$530
-34.99%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.6 เธฟ1,998
$51.9 MX$916
22.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.47 เธฟ549
$18.30 MX$323
-4.54%
Cinema Ticket
$9.44 เธฟ297
$5.12 MX$90.4
84.37%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$758 เธฟ23.8K
$201 MX$3,541
277.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K เธฟ554.6K
$5,318 MX$93.9K
231.69%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 เธฟ1,819
$35.73 MX$631
61.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.40 เธฟ1,113
$40.27 MX$711
-12.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 เธฟ3,669
$79.2 MX$1,398
47.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.2 เธฟ2,615
$89.3 MX$1,576
-6.83%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$522 เธฟ16.4K
$947 MX$16.7K
-44.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$379 เธฟ11.9K
$483 MX$8,525
-21.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,719 เธฟ54.0K
$1,599 MX$28.2K
7.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,269 เธฟ39.9K
$1,211 MX$21.4K
4.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,743 เธฟ117.7K
$3,996 MX$70.5K
-6.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,541 เธฟ79.9K
$6,402 MX$113.0K
-60.31%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$418 เธฟ13.1K
$730 MX$12.9K
-42.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
11.42
-53.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Koh Samui: January 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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