Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Si Thammarat: $1,020 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nakhon Si Thammarat
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,020
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Nakhon Si Thammarat vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $1,020
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,680 per month in Nakhon Si Thammarat vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $1,680
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,341 per month in Nakhon Si Thammarat vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $2,341
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Nakhon Si Thammarat is about 15% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nakhon Si Thammarat and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nakhon Si Thammarat 25% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.94 ฿98.9
$10.67 MX$199
-72.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.46 ฿1,090
$43.80 MX$815
-25.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.50 ฿286
$11.79 MX$219
-27.91%
Cappuccino
$2.80 ฿94.2
$3.79 MX$70.5
-26.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.74
$1.30 MX$24.14
-27.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.96
$0.83 MX$15.51
-38.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 ฿86.7
$3.15 MX$58.6
-18.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 ฿128
$4.93 MX$91.8
-22.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 ฿55.5
$1.41 MX$26.22
17.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.88
$2.20 MX$40.86
-36.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.47 MX$27.40
6.12%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.8
$2.50 MX$46.46
-13.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.37 ฿651
$7.29 MX$136
165.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.36 ฿113
$7.95 MX$148
-57.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.11 ฿373
$12.86 MX$239
-13.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ฿96.7
$2.90 MX$53.9
-0.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ฿54.1
$1.38 MX$25.74
16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿77.3
$2.49 MX$46.35
-7.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 ฿69.6
$2.03 MX$37.77
1.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.02 MX$37.68
-25.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.33
$1.90 MX$35.42
-27.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ฿37.10
$1.14 MX$21.30
-3.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.04
$1.24 MX$23.05
-58.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 ฿148
$4.27 MX$79.5
3.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.59 ฿625
$9.81 MX$183
89.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$1.59 MX$29.51
9.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 ฿96.1
$2.75 MX$51.1
4.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 ฿25.42
$0.51 MX$9.58
49.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.39 MX$510
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 ฿50.2
$4.76 MX$88.6
-68.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 ฿23.87
$3.25 MX$60.5
-78.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿125
$5.39 MX$100
-31.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.44
$1.53 MX$28.44
-3.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K ฿878.9K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
23.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K ฿914.8K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
17.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.4 ฿3,272
$83.5 MX$1,554
16.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 ฿377
$23.19 MX$431
-51.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$27.61 MX$514
-37.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.13 ฿1,617
$56.4 MX$1,050
-14.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.52 ฿387
$28.19 MX$525
-59.13%
Cinema Ticket
$7.36 ฿247
$5.00 MX$93.1
47.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$528 ฿17.7K
$207 MX$3,854
154.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K ฿615.4K
$5,231 MX$97.3K
250.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.1 ฿2,152
$43.45 MX$809
47.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.09 ฿944
$42.54 MX$792
-33.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.1 ฿3,263
$72.8 MX$1,354
33.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.5 ฿2,972
$88.4 MX$1,645
0.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$419 ฿14.1K
$995 MX$18.5K
-57.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$323 ฿10.8K
$382 MX$7,116
-15.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 ฿43.7K
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-22.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$800 ฿26.9K
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-26.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,173 ฿73.0K
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-44.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,871 ฿62.9K
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-69.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
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 Nakhon Si Thammarat: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$323
Playa del Carmen
$382 18.4% $59
Groceries & Markets
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$267
Playa del Carmen
$257 3.5% $9.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$126
Playa del Carmen
$134 6.7% $8.5
Clothing & Footwear
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$125
Playa del Carmen
$111 11% $14
Eating Out
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$109
Playa del Carmen
$200 83.7% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$63
Playa del Carmen
$66 5.7% $3.6
Getting Around
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$8.1 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 524% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Nakhon Si Thammarat versus $995 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 $32 in Nakhon Si Thammarat versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Nakhon Si Thammarat vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Nakhon Si Thammarat
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
15:54 3:54 PM
03:54 3:54 AM
12 h behind Nakhon Si Thammarat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
102,152
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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat Playa del Carmen 16,690 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat
  • 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 Si Thammarat vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nakhon Si Thammarat and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Nakhon Si Thammarat comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Nakhon Si Thammarat compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Nakhon Si Thammarat and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Si Thammarat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city is more expensive overall: Nakhon Si Thammarat or Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Nakhon Si Thammarat about 15% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $528 per month in Nakhon Si Thammarat and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Nakhon Si Thammarat compared to Playa del Carmen?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Nakhon Si Thammarat vs other spots: cost of living compared

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