Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Sawan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Sawan: $1,044 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nakhon Sawan
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,044
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,044 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Sawan $1,044
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Sawan $1,620
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,196 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Sawan $2,196
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Nakhon Sawan is about 13% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nakhon Sawan and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nakhon Sawan 23% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.94 ฿99.3
$10.92 MX$205
-73.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.47 ฿1,197
$43.37 MX$814
-18.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.97 ฿201
$11.78 MX$221
-49.32%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.81 MX$71.5
-25.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ฿22.49
$1.28 MX$24.07
-47.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 ฿10.93
$0.78 MX$14.70
-58.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 ฿90.2
$3.17 MX$59.5
-15.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ฿154
$4.93 MX$92.7
-7.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 ฿63.6
$1.41 MX$26.40
34.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 ฿49.90
$2.22 MX$41.62
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 ฿46.88
$1.42 MX$26.61
-2.11%
Eggs
$1.67 ฿56.4
$2.52 MX$47.36
-33.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.17 ฿579
$7.26 MX$136
136.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.50 ฿118
$7.70 MX$144
-54.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.82 ฿432
$12.69 MX$238
1.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.83 ฿129
$2.78 MX$52.3
37.77%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 ฿23.95
$1.37 MX$25.68
-48.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 ฿89.6
$2.55 MX$47.89
4.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 ฿64.4
$2.12 MX$39.86
-9.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 ฿40.53
$1.94 MX$36.39
-38.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿40.93
$1.89 MX$35.41
-35.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 ฿27.68
$1.15 MX$21.53
-28.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿16.04
$1.18 MX$22.13
-59.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.73 ฿92.0
$4.30 MX$80.6
-36.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.65 ฿494
$9.95 MX$187
47.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ฿53.4
$1.58 MX$29.73
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ฿112
$2.67 MX$50.1
24.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿31.22
$0.55 MX$10.39
69.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$500
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ฿34.65
$4.97 MX$93.3
-79.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 ฿38.64
$3.33 MX$62.5
-65.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.08 ฿205
$5.36 MX$101
13.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ฿42.37
$1.44 MX$27.11
-12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K ฿1.1M
$20.7K MX$388.0K
51.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K ฿918.9K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
16.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 ฿3,606
$84.8 MX$1,592
26.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.68 ฿428
$23.41 MX$439
-45.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.53 ฿591
$28.66 MX$538
-38.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.36 ฿1,665
$57.1 MX$1,071
-13.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.51 ฿456
$28.91 MX$543
-53.27%
Cinema Ticket
$7.62 ฿257
$5.14 MX$96.5
48.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$794 ฿26.8K
$207 MX$3,878
284.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K ฿567.1K
$3,927 MX$73.7K
327.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 ฿2,341
$43.35 MX$814
60.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.62 ฿1,438
$41.44 MX$778
2.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 ฿3,363
$74.2 MX$1,393
34.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 ฿3,481
$89.3 MX$1,676
15.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 ฿16.2K
$980 MX$18.4K
-50.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ฿11.2K
$381 MX$7,150
-12.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,318 ฿44.5K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-22.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$608 ฿20.5K
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-43.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,147 ฿72.4K
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-45.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,943 ฿65.5K
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-68.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nakhon Sawan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$474 ฿16.0K
$735 MX$13.8K
-35.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
11.45
-54.15%

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

Last update for Nakhon Sawan: 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
Nakhon Sawan
$332
Playa del Carmen
$381 14.5% $48
Groceries & Markets
Nakhon Sawan
$256
Playa del Carmen
$255 0.4% $1
Clothing & Footwear
Nakhon Sawan
$142
Playa del Carmen
$112 21.2% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nakhon Sawan
$137
Playa del Carmen
$137 0.2% $0.2
Eating Out
Nakhon Sawan
$102
Playa del Carmen
$202 98.8% $101
Sport & Entertainment
Nakhon Sawan
$65
Playa del Carmen
$67 4.2% $2.7
Getting Around
Nakhon Sawan
$10 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 383% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Nakhon Sawan 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.

Salaries run about 55% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nakhon Sawan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in Nakhon Sawan vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
05:19 5:19 AM
17:19 5:19 PM
12 h behind Nakhon Sawan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
82,305
149,923
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nakhon Sawan Playa del Carmen 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nakhon Sawan
  • 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
Nakhon Sawan vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nakhon Sawan cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,566 per month in Nakhon Sawan and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Sawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Nakhon Sawan or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nakhon Sawan and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $794 per month in Nakhon Sawan and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Nakhon Sawan or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Nakhon Sawan or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nakhon Sawan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Nakhon Sawan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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