Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Pattaya is 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 22.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Pattaya is 11.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 30.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.76 ฿122
$11.99 MX$227
-68.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.74 ฿995
$42.47 MX$803
-27.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.13 ฿295
$10.47 MX$198
-12.80%
Cappuccino
$2.1 ฿68
$3.6 MX$68.2
-41.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.8 ฿25.95
$1.44 MX$27.16
-44.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ฿11.11
$0.89 MX$16.79
-61.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.52 ฿81.4
$3.09 MX$58.5
-18.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 ฿80.9
$4.58 MX$86.6
-45.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 ฿54.4
$1.38 MX$26.04
21.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 ฿43.34
$1.85 MX$34.9
-27.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 ฿40.56
$1.57 MX$29.68
-20.38%
Eggs
$2.3 ฿74.3
$2.55 MX$48.3
-9.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.66 ฿507
$8.61 MX$163
81.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ฿106
$8.54 MX$161
-61.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.34 ฿367
$10.98 MX$208
3.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.39 ฿110
$2.72 MX$51.4
24.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.44
$1.51 MX$28.57
-11.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 ฿63.6
$1.88 MX$35.63
4.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 ฿47.45
$2.19 MX$41.42
-32.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿47.37
$1.87 MX$35.3
-21.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.98
$2.19 MX$41.37
-46.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.65 ฿53.3
$1.07 MX$20.23
54.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿18.13
$1.09 MX$20.64
-48.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.69 ฿152
$3.96 MX$74.9
18.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.46 ฿597
$8.86 MX$167
108.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿57.6
$1.72 MX$32.53
3.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 ฿76.3
$2.61 MX$49.37
-9.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.32 ฿10.44
$0.52 MX$9.74
-38.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.57 ฿601
$26.59 MX$503
-30.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.78
$3.24 MX$61.2
-56.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.6
$2.38 MX$44.94
-43.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.34 ฿108
$3.11 MX$58.7
7.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$1.31 MX$24.85
2.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K ฿847.5K
$30.3K MX$573K
-13.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K ฿886.3K
$24K MX$453.6K
14.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78 ฿2,524
$84.2 MX$1,592
-7.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 ฿449
$22.14 MX$419
-37.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.3 ฿592
$30.14 MX$570
-39.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.81 ฿1,418
$52 MX$983
-15.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.79 ฿543
$18.72 MX$354
-10.31%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 ฿252
$5.07 MX$95.9
53.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$297 ฿9,620
$200 MX$3,787
48.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,230 ฿298.7K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
73.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.75 ฿963
$35.74 MX$676
-16.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.55 ฿633
$39.8 MX$753
-50.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.1 ฿3,206
$79 MX$1,493
25.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.46 ฿1,406
$88.4 MX$1,671
-50.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿17.8K
$965 MX$18.3K
-42.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$348 ฿11.3K
$474 MX$8,968
-26.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,359 ฿44K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-17.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 ฿22.4K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-42.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,718 ฿88K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-11.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿61.9K
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-74.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pattaya
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$488 ฿15.8K
$792 MX$15K
-38.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.45
11.42
-52.28%

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

Last update for Pattaya: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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