Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nha Trang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $686 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Nha Trang
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Nha Trang Living Index
59

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

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Nha Trang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$686

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $686 per month in Nha Trang vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nha Trang $686
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Nha Trang vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nha Trang $1,120
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,554 per month in Nha Trang vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nha Trang $1,554
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Nha Trang is about 43% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nha Trang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nha Trang 49% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ₫70.0K

$10.76 MX$199

-74.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.79 ₫589.9K

$43.03 MX$795

-47.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ₫120.7K

$11.79 MX$218

-60.47%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$3.87 MX$71.4

-56.07%

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

$0.36 ₫9,387

$1.37 MX$25.29

-73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₫5,958

$0.84 MX$15.44

-72.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$3.10 MX$57.3

-79.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₫30.9K

$5.07 MX$93.6

-76.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

$1.44 MX$26.55

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₫11.5K

$2.23 MX$41.23

-79.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$1.47 MX$27.17

-30.61%

Eggs

$1.41 ₫36.6K

$2.53 MX$46.71

-44.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫316.8K

$7.30 MX$135

67.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ₫81.0K

$7.86 MX$145

-60.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 ₫285.9K

$12.79 MX$236

-13.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$2.90 MX$53.6

-34.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₫21.5K

$1.44 MX$26.53

-42.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$2.55 MX$47.07

-58.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫32.0K

$2.06 MX$38.03

-40.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₫21.7K

$2.00 MX$36.97

-58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ₫18.6K

$2.01 MX$37.07

-64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.19 MX$22.02

-37.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$1.26 MX$23.23

-67.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$4.40 MX$81.4

-64.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.67 ₫302.0K

$9.59 MX$177

21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$1.59 MX$29.41

-62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₫46.1K

$2.81 MX$51.9

-36.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,658

$0.57 MX$10.47

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$4.98 MX$92.1

-87.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$3.50 MX$64.6

-84.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₫23.9K

$1.47 MX$27.08

-37.41%

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

$31.2K ₫808.0M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

48.72%

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

$28.2K ₫729.7M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

17.90%

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

$76.9 ₫2.0M

$84.2 MX$1,556

-8.70%

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

$6.41 ₫165.9K

$23.99 MX$443

-73.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ₫245.6K

$29.02 MX$536

-67.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.91 ₫567.3K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-65.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 ₫456.9K

$29.14 MX$539

-39.43%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 ₫50.6K

$4.94 MX$91.3

-60.53%

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

$209 ₫5.4M

$204 MX$3,763

2.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,811 ₫98.7M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.73 ₫1.1M

$43.60 MX$806

-6.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.56 ₫1.3M

$75.8 MX$1,400

-35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₫10.7M

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₫7.2M

$374 MX$6,911

-25.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₫19.7M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-55.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 ₫16.3M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-42.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₫72.6M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-28.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,509 ₫39.1M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-75.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$293 ₫7.6M

$754 MX$13.9K

-61.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Nha Trang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nha Trang

$279 40.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 34.3% $96

Groceries & Markets

Nha Trang

$181 26.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 43.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nha Trang

$93 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 47.9% $44

Eating Out

Nha Trang

$64 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 216% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Nha Trang

$40 * 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 181% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nha Trang

$26 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 182% $47

Getting Around

Nha Trang

$4.6 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1053% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Nha Trang versus $1,008 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 157% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Nha Trang versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $258 – making Nha Trang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Nha Trang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

12 h behind Nha Trang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nha Trang Playa del Carmen 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nha Trang
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

Nha Trang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $686 in Nha Trang, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,030 per month in Nha Trang and $1,816 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 Nha Trang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Nha Trang and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nha Trang, where all-in costs run around $686, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Nha Trang 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 $686 in Nha Trang to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nha Trang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.