Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mui Ne and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mui Ne: $736 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mui Ne
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Mui Ne Living Index
58

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

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Mui Ne

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$736

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Mui Ne versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Mui Ne $736
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,175 in Mui Ne versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Mui Ne $1,175
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Mui Ne versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Mui Ne $1,615
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Mui Ne costs roughly 39% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mui Ne 46% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 ₫50.0K

$10.92 MX$203

-82.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.28 ₫550.1K

$43.37 MX$808

-50.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 ₫119.7K

$11.78 MX$219

-60.70%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₫46.2K

$3.81 MX$71.0

-53.02%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$1.28 MX$23.89

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,862

$0.78 MX$14.58

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$3.17 MX$59.0

-68.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₫40.7K

$4.93 MX$91.9

-68.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$1.41 MX$26.20

-2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₫24.4K

$2.22 MX$41.30

-57.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.42 MX$26.40

-33.10%

Eggs

$1.43 ₫36.9K

$2.52 MX$47.00

-43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 ₫300.3K

$7.26 MX$135

60.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ₫94.8K

$7.70 MX$143

-52.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.3K

$12.69 MX$236

-20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₫68.6K

$2.78 MX$51.9

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.3K

$1.37 MX$25.49

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.4K

$2.55 MX$47.52

-49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫28.0K

$2.12 MX$39.55

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$1.94 MX$36.11

-44.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.1K

$1.89 MX$35.13

-46.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₫17.8K

$1.15 MX$21.36

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$1.18 MX$21.96

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.5K

$4.30 MX$80.0

-68.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 ₫292.5K

$9.95 MX$185

13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫20.8K

$1.58 MX$29.50

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₫41.4K

$2.67 MX$49.76

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,894

$0.55 MX$10.31

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.63 ₫171.3K

$26.62 MX$496

-75.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$4.97 MX$92.6

-85.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₫15.8K

$3.33 MX$62.1

-81.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$5.36 MX$99.8

-48.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.44 MX$26.90

-38.19%

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

$34.4K ₫890.4M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

66.66%

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

$32.1K ₫830.5M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

36.91%

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

$74.8 ₫1.9M

$84.8 MX$1,580

-11.82%

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

$5.87 ₫151.7K

$23.41 MX$436

-74.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 ₫227.9K

$28.66 MX$534

-69.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.18 ₫573.3K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-61.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.49 ₫193.6K

$28.91 MX$539

-74.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 ₫81.7K

$5.14 MX$95.7

-38.52%

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

$268 ₫6.9M

$207 MX$3,848

29.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₫304.3M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

199.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.07 ₫1.1M

$43.35 MX$808

-5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 ₫588.9K

$41.44 MX$772

-45.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 ₫2.2M

$74.2 MX$1,382

15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 ₫2.0M

$89.3 MX$1,663

-15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₫9.2M

$980 MX$18.2K

-63.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 ₫6.5M

$381 MX$7,095

-33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-57.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 ₫14.0M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-49.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,056 ₫53.1M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-47.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,265 ₫32.7M

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-79.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.45

-20.52%

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

Last update for Mui Ne: October 24, 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

Mui Ne

$252 34.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 50.9% $128

Groceries & Markets

Mui Ne

$190 25.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 34% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Mui Ne

$101 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mui Ne

$89 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53% $47

Eating Out

Mui Ne

$62 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 226% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Mui Ne

$29 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 136% $39

Getting Around

Mui Ne

$12 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 329% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Mui Ne and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21 in Mui Ne vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $255 per month, with Mui Ne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Mui Ne

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

12 h behind Mui Ne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mui Ne Playa del Carmen 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mui Ne
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

Mui Ne vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $736 in Mui Ne and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Mui Ne is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,103 in Mui Ne and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $354 in Mui Ne versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $268 in Mui Ne versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Mui Ne versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mui Ne but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Mui Ne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mui Ne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.