Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nong Khai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nong Khai: $918 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Nong Khai
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Nong Khai Living Index
59

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

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Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$918

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $918 per month in Nong Khai vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nong Khai $918
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,472 per month in Nong Khai vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nong Khai $1,472
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Nong Khai vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nong Khai $2,026
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Nong Khai is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nong Khai and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nong Khai 32% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿101

$10.86 MX$201

-72.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.24 ฿810

$44.21 MX$817

-45.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.94 ฿265

$11.76 MX$217

-32.48%

Cappuccino

$1.94 ฿64.9

$3.68 MX$68.0

-47.28%

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

$0.65 ฿21.61

$1.34 MX$24.79

-51.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.34

$0.82 MX$15.24

-58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$3.06 MX$56.6

-37.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ฿108

$4.94 MX$91.2

-34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ฿60.4

$1.47 MX$27.17

23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.15

$2.22 MX$40.95

-36.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.88

$1.48 MX$27.32

-5.41%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿66.0

$2.49 MX$45.99

-20.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 ฿582

$7.52 MX$139

131.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ฿89.0

$7.96 MX$147

-66.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿365

$12.57 MX$232

-13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.78 MX$51.3

-2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ฿33.06

$1.43 MX$26.37

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.62 MX$48.37

-15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$2.14 MX$39.49

-14.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.02 MX$37.38

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.91

$1.99 MX$36.74

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.70

$1.14 MX$21.01

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.31

$1.20 MX$22.18

-59.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ฿149

$4.26 MX$78.7

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 ฿600

$10.02 MX$185

79.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.54 MX$28.41

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ฿83.5

$2.66 MX$49.17

-6.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.57

$0.53 MX$9.73

66.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ฿37.19

$4.90 MX$90.6

-77.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿33.56

$3.43 MX$63.5

-70.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 ฿225

$5.38 MX$99.4

25.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ฿46.27

$1.45 MX$26.76

-4.83%

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

$22.6K ฿756.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

7.04%

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

$27.9K ฿932.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

21.23%

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

$78.5 ฿2,624

$85.4 MX$1,577

-8.01%

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

$9.94 ฿332

$23.46 MX$434

-57.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 ฿655

$28.43 MX$525

-31.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.18 ฿1,577

$62.2 MX$1,149

-24.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ฿484

$28.68 MX$530

-49.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 ฿236

$5.10 MX$94.3

38.63%

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

$515 ฿17.2K

$201 MX$3,715

156.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,737 ฿325.4K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

146.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ฿1,711

$44.39 MX$820

15.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.43 ฿917

$41.35 MX$764

-33.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.1 ฿2,175

$72.7 MX$1,344

-10.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 ฿2,744

$89.6 MX$1,656

-8.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ฿12.9K

$979 MX$18.1K

-60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ฿9,932

$373 MX$6,887

-20.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ฿38.7K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-31.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 ฿22.4K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,170 ฿72.5K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-45.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ฿51.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-74.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 ฿15.1K

$738 MX$13.6K

-38.69%

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 Nong Khai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nong Khai

$297 32.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 25.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Nong Khai

$248 27.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nong Khai

$108 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 27% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nong Khai

$102 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.9% $10

Eating Out

Nong Khai

$91 10%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 119% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Nong Khai

$61 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 18.1% $11

Getting Around

Nong Khai

$9.7 * 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 435% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Nong Khai versus $979 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 63% 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 $24.00 in Nong Khai versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $258 – making Nong Khai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nong Khai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

12 h behind Nong Khai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nong Khai Playa del Carmen 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nong Khai
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

Nong Khai vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,376 per month in Nong Khai 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 Nong Khai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Nong Khai and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $515 per month in Nong Khai and $201 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nong Khai, where all-in costs run around $918, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Nong Khai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nong Khai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nong Khai. 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.