Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maha Sarakham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index
58

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

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Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maha Sarakham $925
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,487 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maha Sarakham $1,487
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,049 per month in Maha Sarakham vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Maha Sarakham $2,049
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Maha Sarakham is about 23% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maha Sarakham and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Maha Sarakham 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ฿103

$10.92 MX$204

-71.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.12 ฿815

$43.37 MX$808

-44.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ฿256

$11.78 MX$220

-35.74%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ฿65.3

$3.81 MX$71.0

-49.34%

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

$0.66 ฿22.18

$1.28 MX$23.90

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.03

$0.78 MX$14.59

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿71.4

$3.17 MX$59.0

-33.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ฿100

$4.93 MX$92.0

-39.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿60.0

$1.41 MX$26.22

26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.22 MX$41.33

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.27

$1.42 MX$26.42

-3.52%

Eggs

$1.99 ฿67.0

$2.52 MX$47.03

-21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.71 ฿564

$7.26 MX$135

130.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.69 ฿90.7

$7.70 MX$143

-65.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 ฿348

$12.69 MX$237

-18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿98.2

$2.78 MX$51.9

4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.81

$1.37 MX$25.50

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.6

$2.55 MX$47.55

-15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ฿63.7

$2.12 MX$39.58

-10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.4

$1.94 MX$36.13

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.79

$1.89 MX$35.16

-43.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.38

$1.15 MX$21.37

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿18.06

$1.18 MX$21.98

-55.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ฿147

$4.30 MX$80.1

1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.70 ฿598

$9.95 MX$185

77.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ฿57.9

$1.58 MX$29.52

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 ฿97.5

$2.67 MX$49.79

8.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿31.12

$0.55 MX$10.31

67.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.25

$4.97 MX$92.6

-76.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.90

$3.33 MX$62.1

-66.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 ฿205

$5.36 MX$99.8

13.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿45.41

$1.44 MX$26.92

-6.94%

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

$26.4K ฿892.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

27.85%

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

$26.8K ฿905.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

14.21%

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

$82.2 ฿2,777

$84.8 MX$1,581

-3.02%

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

$11.66 ฿394

$23.41 MX$436

-50.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.97 ฿641

$28.66 MX$534

-33.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.45 ฿1,602

$57.1 MX$1,063

-16.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.36 ฿451

$28.91 MX$539

-53.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 ฿222

$5.14 MX$95.8

28.02%

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

$581 ฿19.6K

$207 MX$3,851

181.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿368.8K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

178.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 ฿1,700

$43.35 MX$808

16.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.75 ฿1,005

$41.44 MX$772

-28.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 ฿2,605

$74.2 MX$1,383

3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 ฿2,571

$89.3 MX$1,664

-14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 ฿14.8K

$980 MX$18.3K

-55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.1K

$381 MX$7,099

-21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ฿38.3K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 ฿23.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-36.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,968 ฿66.5K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-50.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 ฿50.0K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-75.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Maha Sarakham: 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

Maha Sarakham

$298 32.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 27.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Maha Sarakham

$246 26.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.4% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 21.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Maha Sarakham

$105 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 6.4% $6.7

Eating Out

Maha Sarakham

$91 9.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 123% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Maha Sarakham

$61 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 11.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 382% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $439 in Maha Sarakham versus $980 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 $24 in Maha Sarakham versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $255 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

12 h behind Maha Sarakham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,523

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maha Sarakham Playa del Carmen 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Maha Sarakham
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

Maha Sarakham vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $925 in Maha Sarakham, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Maha Sarakham comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Maha Sarakham and $1,806 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 Maha Sarakham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Maha Sarakham and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Maha Sarakham to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.