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

🙂 Solo nomad: Koh Tao is 11.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Koh Tao is 5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 9.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.00 ฿128
$11.61 MX$200
-65.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.66 ฿1,268
$42.75 MX$738
-7.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.11 ฿227
$10.60 MX$183
-32.92%
Cappuccino
$2.54 ฿81.3
$3.59 MX$62.0
-29.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ฿19.68
$1.45 MX$25.08
-57.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.56
$0.90 MX$15.50
-63.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.06 ฿65.9
$3.03 MX$52.4
-32.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ฿102
$4.56 MX$78.8
-30.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿65.5
$1.45 MX$25.07
41.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 ฿56.6
$1.83 MX$31.55
-3.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.8
$1.61 MX$27.77
29.81%
Eggs
$2.21 ฿70.8
$2.54 MX$43.82
-12.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.72 ฿599
$8.54 MX$148
119.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.57 ฿114
$8.47 MX$146
-57.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 ฿411
$10.86 MX$188
18.42%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 ฿97.8
$2.73 MX$47.13
12.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 ฿50.2
$1.49 MX$25.77
5.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$1.94 MX$33.55
12.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 ฿63.9
$2.16 MX$37.38
-7.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 ฿47.08
$1.85 MX$31.88
-20.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿44.02
$2.19 MX$37.80
-36.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 ฿30.96
$1.07 MX$18.52
-9.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿14.74
$1.08 MX$18.71
-57.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ฿132
$4.06 MX$70.1
1.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.33 ฿586
$10.46 MX$181
75.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 ฿56.3
$1.65 MX$28.56
6.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 ฿85.3
$2.55 MX$44.01
4.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.27 ฿40.50
$0.56 MX$9.60
126.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.20 MX$453
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.79 ฿89.1
$3.14 MX$54.2
-11.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 ฿30.59
$2.37 MX$40.96
-59.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.32 ฿394
$3.24 MX$56.0
280.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.31
$1.31 MX$22.70
-6.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.3K ฿808.5K
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-17.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K ฿948.6K
$23.8K MX$411.4K
24.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,929
$83.1 MX$1,436
47.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.56 ฿434
$22.15 MX$383
-38.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.50 ฿592
$29.37 MX$507
-37.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.2 ฿2,021
$51.2 MX$884
23.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.64 ฿564
$18.69 MX$323
-5.62%
Cinema Ticket
$9.23 ฿295
$4.89 MX$84.4
88.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$707 ฿22.6K
$199 MX$3,431
255.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿508.7K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
205.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 ฿1,887
$35.93 MX$621
64.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.34 ฿1,098
$39.39 MX$680
-12.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,672
$80.3 MX$1,387
43.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.5 ฿2,671
$87.6 MX$1,512
-4.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$463 ฿14.8K
$963 MX$16.6K
-51.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$329 ฿10.5K
$482 MX$8,326
-31.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-7.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,134 ฿36.2K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-4.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,840 ฿90.8K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-28.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,983 ฿63.4K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-69.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Tao
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$726 MX$12.5K
-
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 Tao: April 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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