Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phetchabun and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phetchabun: $957 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phetchabun
🇹🇭 Thailand
$957
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $957 per month in Phetchabun vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phetchabun $957
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,508 per month in Phetchabun vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phetchabun $1,508
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Phetchabun vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Phetchabun $2,058
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Phetchabun is about 21% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phetchabun and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Phetchabun 29% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.74 ฿58.3
$10.86 MX$201
-83.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.98 ฿801
$44.21 MX$817
-45.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.54 ฿219
$11.76 MX$217
-44.39%
Cappuccino
$1.18 ฿39.31
$3.68 MX$68.0
-67.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 ฿23.88
$1.34 MX$24.79
-47.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 ฿7.01
$0.82 MX$15.24
-74.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 ฿71.5
$3.06 MX$56.6
-30.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$4.94 MX$91.2
-41.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 ฿60.1
$1.47 MX$27.17
22.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.81
$2.22 MX$40.95
-34.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$1.48 MX$27.32
1.35%
Eggs
$2.05 ฿68.6
$2.49 MX$45.99
-17.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.61 ฿555
$7.52 MX$139
120.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.86 ฿95.6
$7.96 MX$147
-64.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 ฿381
$12.57 MX$232
-9.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.16 ฿106
$2.78 MX$51.3
13.67%
Banana (1kg)
$0.99 ฿33.12
$1.43 MX$26.37
-30.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 ฿75.0
$2.62 MX$48.37
-14.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.20 ฿73.4
$2.14 MX$39.49
2.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.31
$2.02 MX$37.38
-32.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 ฿33.25
$1.99 MX$36.74
-50.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ฿39.70
$1.14 MX$21.01
4.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.34
$1.20 MX$22.18
-59.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.39 ฿147
$4.26 MX$78.7
3.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.94 ฿599
$10.02 MX$185
79.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 ฿55.7
$1.54 MX$28.41
8.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$2.66 MX$49.17
7.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿31.45
$0.53 MX$9.73
77.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.51 MX$508
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.45
$4.90 MX$90.6
-75.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 ฿38.06
$3.43 MX$63.5
-66.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.97 ฿199
$5.38 MX$99.4
10.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 ฿46.87
$1.45 MX$26.76
-3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K ฿830.1K
$21.2K MX$391.0K
17.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K ฿837.1K
$23.0K MX$425.3K
8.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.7 ฿2,796
$85.4 MX$1,577
-1.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.44 ฿382
$23.46 MX$434
-51.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.78 ฿628
$28.43 MX$525
-33.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.5 ฿1,755
$62.2 MX$1,149
-15.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.59 ฿454
$28.68 MX$530
-52.62%
Cinema Ticket
$7.31 ฿244
$5.10 MX$94.3
43.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$536 ฿17.9K
$201 MX$3,715
166.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K ฿390.2K
$3,947 MX$72.9K
195.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.84 ฿1,465
$44.39 MX$820
-1.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.09 ฿905
$41.35 MX$764
-34.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 ฿2,522
$72.7 MX$1,344
3.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.1 ฿2,476
$89.6 MX$1,656
-17.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$426 ฿14.2K
$979 MX$18.1K
-56.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$345 ฿11.5K
$373 MX$6,887
-7.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 ฿42.0K
$1,681 MX$31.1K
-25.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 ฿24.2K
$1,095 MX$20.2K
-33.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,024 ฿67.7K
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-48.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,349 ฿45.1K
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-78.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phetchabun
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
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 Phetchabun: October 17, 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
Phetchabun
$345
Playa del Carmen
$373 8% $28
Groceries & Markets
Phetchabun
$253
Playa del Carmen
$258 2% $5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phetchabun
$114
Playa del Carmen
$137 20.5% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Phetchabun
$99
Playa del Carmen
$112 12.5% $12
Eating Out
Phetchabun
$68
Playa del Carmen
$200 195% $132
Sport & Entertainment
Phetchabun
$67
Playa del Carmen
$72 7.9% $5.3
Getting Around
Phetchabun
$11 *
Playa del Carmen
$52 384% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Phetchabun 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Phetchabun versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $258 – making Phetchabun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phetchabun
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:11 11:11 PM
11:11 11:11 AM
12 h behind Phetchabun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,823
149,923
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phetchabun Playa del Carmen 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phetchabun
  • 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
Phetchabun vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phetchabun and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $957 in Phetchabun, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phetchabun compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,436 per month in Phetchabun and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phetchabun and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phetchabun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Phetchabun and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 2% 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.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Phetchabun, where all-in costs run around $957, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Phetchabun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Phetchabun and Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $957 in Phetchabun to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Phetchabun or Playa del Carmen safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Phetchabun and Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Phetchabun. 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.

Phetchabun vs other spots: cost of living compared

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