Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phan Rang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Rang: $721 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phan Rang, Vietnam
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Phan Rang
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$721
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Phan Rang vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phan Rang $721
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $1,157 per month in Phan Rang vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phan Rang $1,157
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,592 per month in Phan Rang vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phan Rang $1,592
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Phan Rang is about 40% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phan Rang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Phan Rang 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.15 ₫29.6K
$10.67 MX$199
-89.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.90 ₫589.8K
$43.80 MX$815
-47.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.62 ₫118.9K
$11.79 MX$219
-60.81%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ₫44.4K
$3.79 MX$70.5
-54.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.4K
$1.30 MX$24.14
-56.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₫6,692
$0.83 MX$15.51
-68.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.08 ₫27.9K
$3.15 MX$58.6
-65.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₫41.5K
$4.93 MX$91.8
-67.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₫31.2K
$1.41 MX$26.22
-14.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.06 ₫27.4K
$2.20 MX$40.86
-51.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 ₫26.6K
$1.47 MX$27.40
-29.93%
Eggs
$1.28 ₫33.1K
$2.50 MX$46.47
-48.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.73 ₫147.5K
$7.29 MX$136
-21.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.48 ₫89.5K
$7.95 MX$148
-56.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.71 ₫147.2K
$12.86 MX$239
-55.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 ₫71.6K
$2.90 MX$53.9
-4.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 ₫32.8K
$1.38 MX$25.74
-7.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ₫37.2K
$2.49 MX$46.36
-41.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.29 ₫33.1K
$2.03 MX$37.78
-36.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ₫31.9K
$2.02 MX$37.69
-38.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ₫29.8K
$1.90 MX$35.42
-38.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ₫19.2K
$1.14 MX$21.30
-34.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₫10.4K
$1.24 MX$23.06
-67.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.28 ₫32.8K
$4.27 MX$79.5
-70.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.86 ₫305.6K
$9.81 MX$183
20.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ₫15.3K
$1.59 MX$29.51
-62.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 ₫26.0K
$2.75 MX$51.1
-63.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ₫7,519
$0.51 MX$9.58
-43.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.06 ₫156.1K
$27.39 MX$510
-77.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.76 ₫19.6K
$4.76 MX$88.6
-84.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 ₫17.2K
$3.25 MX$60.5
-79.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 ₫79.0K
$5.39 MX$100
-43.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 ₫23.0K
$1.53 MX$28.44
-41.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K ₫802.7M
$21.2K MX$394.8K
46.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.7K ₫764.9M
$23.3K MX$432.9K
27.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.49 ₫1.0M
$83.5 MX$1,554
-52.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.77 ₫148.6K
$23.19 MX$431
-75.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.92 ₫229.7K
$27.61 MX$514
-67.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.91 ₫513.0K
$56.4 MX$1,050
-64.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.89 ₫177.6K
$28.19 MX$525
-75.56%
Cinema Ticket
$3.99 ₫102.8K
$5.00 MX$93.1
-20.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$237 ₫6.1M
$207 MX$3,854
14.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.6K ₫686.1M
$5,231 MX$97.4K
409.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.0 ₫1.3M
$43.45 MX$809
19.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.06 ₫903.1K
$42.54 MX$792
-17.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.0 ₫2.4M
$72.8 MX$1,354
26.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.8 ₫2.4M
$88.4 MX$1,645
7.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$429 ₫11.0M
$995 MX$18.5K
-56.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$289 ₫7.4M
$382 MX$7,116
-24.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$644 ₫16.6M
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-61.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$588 ₫15.2M
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-45.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,337 ₫60.2M
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-40.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,507 ₫38.8M
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-75.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phan Rang
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
11.45
-24.54%

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

Last update for Phan Rang: 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
Phan Rang
$289
Playa del Carmen
$382 32.4% $94
Groceries & Markets
Phan Rang
$160
Playa del Carmen
$257 60.9% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Phan Rang
$123
Playa del Carmen
$111 9.8% $12
Eating Out
Phan Rang
$56
Playa del Carmen
$200 260% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phan Rang
$54
Playa del Carmen
$134 148% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Phan Rang
$28
Playa del Carmen
$66 138% $39
Getting Around
Phan Rang
$11
Playa del Carmen
$50 345% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in Phan Rang 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 $23 in Phan Rang versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $257 – making Phan Rang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Phan Rang
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:42 11:42 PM
11:42 11:42 AM
12 h behind Phan Rang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
207,998
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phan Rang Playa del Carmen 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phan Rang
  • 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
Phan Rang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phan Rang cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Phan Rang and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phan Rang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $429 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
How do food prices compare in Phan Rang and in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 61% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Phan Rang or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Phan Rang and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phan Rang or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Phan Rang, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Phan Rang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Phan Rang or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $721 in Phan Rang to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Phan Rang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Phan Rang vs other spots: cost of living compared

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