Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bang Kruai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bang Kruai: $905 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Bang Kruai
Learn more

Bang Kruai Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Bang Kruai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bang Kruai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Bang Kruai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $905 in Bang Kruai.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Bang Kruai $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,477 in Bang Kruai.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bang Kruai $1,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,049 in Bang Kruai.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Bang Kruai $2,049

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 33% more expensive than in Bang Kruai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Bang Kruai 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.01 ฿102

254.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$36.12 ฿1,218

21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$7.31 ฿247

61.29%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.76 ฿93.1

37.32%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.69 ฿23.42

88.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.35 ฿11.93

137.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.12 ฿71.4

48.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$4.25 ฿143

16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.45 ฿48.91

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.32 ฿44.49

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.28 ฿43.06

14.84%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.86 ฿62.8

34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$12.55 ฿423

-41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$2.52 ฿84.8

215.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$10.38 ฿350

23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$3.60 ฿122

-19.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.01 ฿34.05

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.37 ฿79.8

5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.64 ฿55.3

23.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.70 ฿57.4

18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.03 ฿34.85

84.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.82 ฿27.66

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.45 ฿15.21

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$4.41 ฿149

-3.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$14.24 ฿480

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.68 ฿56.7

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$1.79 ฿60.3

53.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.83 ฿27.86

-38.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.02 ฿34.34

366.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.16 ฿39.02

180.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$6.00 ฿203

-10.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.44 ฿48.64

6.25%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$16.4K ฿553.6K

29.26%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$26.5K ฿894.0K

-12.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$83.5 ฿2,817

-0.05%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$9.43 ฿318

145.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$18.12 ฿611

52.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$52.0 ฿1,752

8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$13.22 ฿446

113.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.56 ฿221

-23.78%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$725 ฿24.5K

-71.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$15.6K ฿526.3K

-66.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$6.02 ฿203

621.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$34.89 ฿1,177

21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$72.2 ฿2,434

0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$53.4 ฿1,801

65.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$463 ฿15.6K

114.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$322 ฿10.8K

18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,154 ฿38.9K

45.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$720 ฿24.3K

50.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,928 ฿65.0K

102.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,755 ฿59.2K

249.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bang Kruai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Bang Kruai

$322 35.5% 15.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Bang Kruai

$220 24.3% 14.7% $38

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Bang Kruai

$102 11.3% 48.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Bang Kruai

$111 12.3% 17.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Bang Kruai

$75 8.3% 32.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Bang Kruai

$65 7.2% 2.1% $1.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bang Kruai

$10 * 1.1% 80% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $463 in Bang Kruai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $36 in Bang Kruai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $220 per month, with Bang Kruai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Bang Kruai

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

43,453

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bang Kruai 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bang Kruai

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

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

Bang Kruai is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,357 in Bang Kruai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $463 in Bang Kruai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $725 in Bang Kruai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bang Kruai – a meal for two runs $36 versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $905 in Bang Kruai versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bang Kruai but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bang Kruai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.