Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phu Quoc and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phu Quoc: $728 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Phu Quoc
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Phu Quoc Living Index
58

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

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Phu Quoc

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$728

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $728 per month in Phu Quoc vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Phu Quoc $728
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Phu Quoc vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Phu Quoc $1,173
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,617 per month in Phu Quoc vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Phu Quoc $1,617
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Phu Quoc and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Phu Quoc 47% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.5K

$10.92 MX$203

-82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.69 ₫532.7K

$43.37 MX$805

-52.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 ₫118.3K

$11.78 MX$219

-60.95%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.0K

$3.81 MX$70.7

-55.12%

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

$0.48 ₫12.3K

$1.28 MX$23.81

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₫7,150

$0.78 MX$14.54

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ₫25.2K

$3.17 MX$58.8

-69.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₫40.5K

$4.93 MX$91.7

-68.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₫35.7K

$1.41 MX$26.12

-1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$2.22 MX$41.17

-55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.7K

$1.42 MX$26.32

-29.58%

Eggs

$1.48 ₫38.1K

$2.52 MX$46.85

-41.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.86 ₫305.4K

$7.26 MX$135

63.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ₫93.4K

$7.70 MX$143

-52.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 ₫258.3K

$12.69 MX$236

-20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 ₫69.3K

$2.78 MX$51.7

-3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$1.37 MX$25.41

-21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.6K

$2.55 MX$47.37

-47.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫28.8K

$2.12 MX$39.43

-47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.4K

$1.94 MX$36.00

-44.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$1.89 MX$35.02

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ₫18.0K

$1.15 MX$21.29

-39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.5K

$1.18 MX$21.89

-59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$4.30 MX$79.8

-68.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.51 ₫296.4K

$9.95 MX$185

15.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₫20.3K

$1.58 MX$29.41

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₫42.3K

$2.67 MX$49.60

-38.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,880

$0.55 MX$10.28

-38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.40 ₫164.7K

$26.62 MX$494

-75.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 ₫18.2K

$4.97 MX$92.3

-85.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₫16.9K

$3.33 MX$61.9

-80.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 ₫73.2K

$5.36 MX$99.5

-47.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$1.44 MX$26.82

-37.50%

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

$35.7K ₫918.1M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

72.53%

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

$31.5K ₫811.6M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

34.31%

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

$74.7 ₫1.9M

$84.8 MX$1,575

-11.86%

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

$5.68 ₫146.3K

$23.41 MX$435

-75.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 ₫227.1K

$28.66 MX$532

-69.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.20 ₫571.6K

$57.1 MX$1,059

-61.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.87 ₫202.8K

$28.91 MX$537

-72.78%

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 ₫77.6K

$5.14 MX$95.4

-41.44%

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

$271 ₫7.0M

$207 MX$3,836

31.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫301.7M

$3,927 MX$72.9K

198.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.94 ₫1.0M

$43.35 MX$805

-7.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.80 ₫587.2K

$41.44 MX$770

-44.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 ₫2.2M

$74.2 MX$1,378

17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 ₫1.9M

$89.3 MX$1,657

-16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₫9.2M

$980 MX$18.2K

-63.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 ₫6.3M

$381 MX$7,072

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 ₫18.6M

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-57.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ₫14.1M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,119 ₫54.6M

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-46.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,256 ₫32.3M

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-79.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

11.45

-20.52%

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

Last update for Phu Quoc: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phu Quoc

$245 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 55.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Phu Quoc

$192 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 32.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phu Quoc

$101 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phu Quoc

$89 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 53.4% $48

Eating Out

Phu Quoc

$60 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 235% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Phu Quoc

$28 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 139% $39

Getting Around

Phu Quoc

$12 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 329% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Phu Quoc versus $980 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 $21 in Phu Quoc versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $255 – making Phu Quoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Phu Quoc

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

12 h behind Phu Quoc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,460

149,923

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,829 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phu Quoc Playa del Carmen 16,380 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phu Quoc
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

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

Playa del Carmen costs about 65% more than Phu Quoc, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,092 per month in Phu Quoc 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 Phu Quoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Phu Quoc. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $271 per month in Phu Quoc and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $728 in Phu Quoc to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Phu Quoc 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.