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

😐 Solo nomad: Koh Samui is 5.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 3.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Koh Samui is 6.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿146
$11.85 MX$205
-60.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.12 ฿1,450
$42.16 MX$730
9.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.68 ฿273
$10.75 MX$186
-19.26%
Cappuccino
$3.03 ฿95.4
$3.47 MX$60.2
-12.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿21.42
$1.45 MX$25.17
-53.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.32
$0.90 MX$15.64
-56.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.49 ฿78.3
$3.05 MX$52.9
-18.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿116
$4.42 MX$76.5
-16.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ฿68.1
$1.37 MX$23.72
58.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.80 ฿56.5
$1.87 MX$32.43
-3.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 ฿68.2
$1.54 MX$26.74
40.91%
Eggs
$2.26 ฿70.9
$2.50 MX$43.36
-9.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.57 ฿615
$8.61 MX$149
127.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.72 ฿117
$8.63 MX$150
-56.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 ฿422
$11.02 MX$191
21.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.27 ฿103
$2.75 MX$47.62
18.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 ฿53.6
$1.43 MX$24.73
19.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿72.4
$1.87 MX$32.44
22.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 ฿63.7
$2.17 MX$37.54
-6.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 ฿50.2
$1.88 MX$32.61
-14.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.50 ฿47.04
$2.25 MX$38.91
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.04
$1.07 MX$18.49
-4.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿15.25
$1.07 MX$18.59
-54.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.35 ฿137
$4.15 MX$72.0
4.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.82 ฿623
$10.34 MX$179
91.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 ฿58.3
$1.68 MX$29.08
10.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.0
$2.48 MX$43.02
11.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿45.53
$0.55 MX$9.61
163.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.73 ฿1,438
$26.53 MX$459
72.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.18 ฿100
$3.22 MX$55.7
-1.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.08 ฿34.10
$2.48 MX$42.98
-56.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.65 ฿461
$3.11 MX$53.9
371.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ฿42.73
$1.26 MX$21.75
7.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.8K ฿906.1K
$30.7K MX$531.0K
-5.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K ฿1.1M
$24.0K MX$416.4K
44.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 ฿3,988
$82.5 MX$1,429
53.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.19 ฿446
$22.29 MX$386
-36.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.10 ฿601
$30.02 MX$520
-36.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.7 ฿1,972
$51.4 MX$891
21.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.76 ฿558
$18.29 MX$317
-2.90%
Cinema Ticket
$9.17 ฿288
$4.98 MX$86.3
84.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$759 ฿23.9K
$200 MX$3,464
279.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K ฿552.3K
$5,304 MX$91.9K
231.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.0 ฿1,824
$35.71 MX$618
62.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.84 ฿1,096
$39.56 MX$685
-11.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ฿3,592
$80.6 MX$1,395
41.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.0 ฿2,671
$88.3 MX$1,530
-3.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 ฿16.5K
$969 MX$16.8K
-45.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$380 ฿12.0K
$482 MX$8,352
-21.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,730 ฿54.4K
$1,595 MX$27.6K
8.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,286 ฿40.4K
$1,184 MX$20.5K
8.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,678 ฿115.6K
$4,050 MX$70.1K
-9.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,594 ฿81.6K
$6,522 MX$113.0K
-60.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Samui
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$418 ฿13.1K
$756 MX$13.1K
-44.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
11.42
-53.33%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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