Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nonthaburi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Nonthaburi: $836 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Nonthaburi
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Nonthaburi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Nonthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$836

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $836 per month in Nonthaburi vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nonthaburi $836
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,303 per month in Nonthaburi vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nonthaburi $1,303
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,769 per month in Nonthaburi vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Nonthaburi $1,769
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Nonthaburi is about 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nonthaburi and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Nonthaburi 38% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 ฿111

$10.76 MX$199

-69.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.14 ฿807

$43.03 MX$795

-43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.37 ฿213

$11.79 MX$218

-45.97%

Cappuccino

$2.42 ฿80.8

$3.87 MX$71.4

-37.47%

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

$0.63 ฿21.19

$1.37 MX$25.29

-54.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.06

$0.84 MX$15.44

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ฿68.3

$3.10 MX$57.3

-34.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿96.9

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.17

$1.44 MX$26.55

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$2.23 MX$41.23

-40.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.71

$1.47 MX$27.17

-17.01%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.53 MX$46.71

-12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ฿567

$7.30 MX$135

132.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.51 ฿83.8

$7.86 MX$145

-68.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 ฿345

$12.79 MX$236

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.90 MX$53.6

23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.40

$1.44 MX$26.53

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ฿82.9

$2.55 MX$47.07

-2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.5

$2.06 MX$38.03

-20.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.0

$2.00 MX$36.97

-16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$2.01 MX$37.07

-21.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ฿40.15

$1.19 MX$22.02

0.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.26 MX$23.23

-58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 ฿147

$4.40 MX$81.4

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 ฿476

$9.59 MX$177

48.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$1.59 MX$29.41

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 ฿81.1

$2.81 MX$51.9

-13.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.77

$0.57 MX$10.47

61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ฿33.86

$4.98 MX$92.1

-79.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 ฿40.95

$3.50 MX$64.6

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 ฿120

$5.40 MX$99.8

-33.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ฿46.39

$1.47 MX$27.08

-5.44%

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

$16.3K ฿543.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-22.49%

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

$26.9K ฿897.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

12.38%

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

$106 ฿3,549

$84.2 MX$1,556

26.11%

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

$14.51 ฿485

$23.99 MX$443

-39.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.52 ฿719

$29.02 MX$536

-25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 ฿1,823

$63.0 MX$1,164

-13.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.34 ฿412

$29.14 MX$539

-57.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ฿221

$4.94 MX$91.3

33.81%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$204 MX$3,763

174.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K ฿548.5K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

316.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.93 ฿198

$43.60 MX$806

-86.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 ฿1,176

$43.12 MX$797

-18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ฿2,423

$75.8 MX$1,400

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 ฿1,988

$88.6 MX$1,637

-32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 ฿23.0K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 ฿6,797

$374 MX$6,911

-45.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 ฿45.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-20.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 ฿14.0K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-62.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,839 ฿61.5K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-53.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,475 ฿49.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-76.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

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 Nonthaburi: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nonthaburi

$240 28.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 7.9% $19

Accommodation & Living

Nonthaburi

$203 24.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 83.9% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nonthaburi

$142 17%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 3.5% $5

Eating Out

Nonthaburi

$95 11.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 114% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Nonthaburi

$78 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 45% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nonthaburi

$68 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 7.5% $5.1

Getting Around

Nonthaburi

$11 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 386% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $689 in Nonthaburi 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Nonthaburi versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $258 – making Nonthaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nonthaburi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

18:34 6:34 PM

12 h behind Nonthaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

254,375

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 17, 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 17, 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

Nonthaburi Playa del Carmen 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nonthaburi
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,255 per month in Nonthaburi 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 Nonthaburi, 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 $24.00 in Nonthaburi 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 8% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nonthaburi, where all-in costs run around $836, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Nonthaburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nonthaburi – 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 Nonthaburi. 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.