Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $661 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
Learn more

Battambang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Battambang

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 Battambang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $661 in Battambang.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Battambang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,046 in Battambang.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Battambang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,431 in Battambang.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Battambang $1,431

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 82% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Battambang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.43 ៛9,886

349.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$18.26 ៛74.4K

137.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.31 ៛25.7K

86.69%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.37 ៛5,564

178.10%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.67 ៛2,718

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.48 ៛1,938

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.84 ៛3,419

277.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$2.23 ៛9,106

121.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.25 ៛9,176

-37.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.01 ៛4,130

119.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.02 ៛4,148

39.22%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.72 ៛7,023

46.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$14.23 ៛58.0K

-48.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$2.43 ៛9,890

216.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$9.45 ៛38.5K

34.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.26 ៛17.3K

-34.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.28 ៛5,213

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$4.60 ៛18.7K

-44.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.92 ៛7,844

10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.76 ៛7,186

10.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.14 ៛4,627

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.78 ៛3,164

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.75 ៛3,057

57.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.92 ៛7,820

123.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.89 ៛44.4K

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.64 ៛2,616

146.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$0.98 ៛3,984

172.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.85 ៛3,472

484.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.89 ៛3,637

274.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$4.96 ៛20.2K

8.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.20 ៛4,887

20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$35.2K ៛143.5M

-41.32%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$34.3K ៛139.7M

-31.56%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$64.2 ៛261.6K

32.09%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$2.72 ៛11.1K

760.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$25.32 ៛103.2K

13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$22.07 ៛89.9K

158.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$5.03 ៛20.5K

2.19%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$89.2 ៛363.6K

131.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,929 ៛16.0M

-0.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$20.29 ៛82.7K

113.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$23.97 ៛97.7K

72.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$90.0 ៛366.6K

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$44.81 ៛182.6K

99.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$228 ៛930.9K

328.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$153 ៛621.8K

149.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$420 ៛1.7M

306.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$322 ៛1.3M

234.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$203 ៛826.8K

261.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.25

57.93%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Battambang

$153 23.1% 59.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Battambang

$230 34.8% 9.6% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 66.4% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Battambang

$92 14% 32.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Battambang

$81 12.2% 27.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 52.3% $35

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Battambang

$5.3 * 0.8% 89.5% $45

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 $980 in Playa del Carmen and $228 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $18 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $230 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

23:11 11:11 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

196,709

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Battambang

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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $228 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $89 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Battambang versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Battambang wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.