Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Binh Duong

For one person, living is cheaper in Binh Duong: $571 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Binh Duong
Learn more

Binh Duong Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Binh Duong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Binh Duong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $571 in Binh Duong.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Binh Duong $571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $964 in Binh Duong.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Binh Duong $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,357 in Binh Duong.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Binh Duong $1,357

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 111% more expensive than in Binh Duong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Binh Duong 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.92 ₫49.5K

468.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.91 ₫591.9K

89.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$3.38 ₫87.2K

248.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.63 ₫42.2K

133.74%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.50 ₫12.9K

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.30 ₫7,762

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.73 ₫18.7K

334.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$0.99 ₫25.6K

397.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.60 ₫41.3K

-11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.81 ₫21.0K

174.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.62 ₫16.0K

129.03%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.50 ₫38.7K

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.66 ₫301.3K

-37.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.48 ₫89.9K

121.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.03 ₫259.0K

26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.17 ₫56.1K

28.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.61 ₫15.7K

124.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$0.73 ₫18.8K

249.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.09 ₫28.1K

94.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.94 ₫24.2K

106.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.04 ₫27.0K

81.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.78 ₫20.1K

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.50 ₫12.8K

136.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$0.81 ₫20.8K

430.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$9.90 ₫255.8K

0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.60 ₫15.5K

163.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.00 ₫25.8K

167.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.31 ₫8,133

77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$6.61 ₫170.7K

302.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.37 ₫9,629

1243.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.60 ₫15.4K

455.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$3.10 ₫80.2K

72.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.82 ₫21.3K

75.61%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$30.5K ₫789.2M

-32.36%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$29.1K ₫750.9M

-19.27%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$38.54 ₫995.5K

120.01%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$5.63 ₫145.3K

315.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$6.38 ₫164.8K

349.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$22.75 ₫587.8K

150.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.76 ₫200.5K

272.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.98 ₫76.9K

72.48%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$393 ₫10.1M

-47.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$23.4K ₫603.4M

-83.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$31.76 ₫820.3K

36.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$15.53 ₫401.1K

166.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$76.0 ₫2.0M

-2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$70.2 ₫1.8M

27.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$256 ₫6.6M

282.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$163 ₫4.2M

133.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$627 ₫16.2M

172.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$390 ₫10.1M

176.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,585 ₫40.9M

148.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$959 ₫24.8M

542.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$342 ₫8.8M

115.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.64

32.52%

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 Binh Duong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Binh Duong

$163 28.6% 57.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Binh Duong

$177 30.9% 30.6% $78

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Binh Duong

$54 9.4% 73.4% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Binh Duong

$51 8.9% 63.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Binh Duong

$87 15.2% 22% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Binh Duong

$29 5% 57.4% $39

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Binh Duong

$11 2% 77.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $256 in Binh Duong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Binh Duong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $177 per month, with Binh Duong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Binh Duong

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

14:32 2:32 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

373,105

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,827 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Binh Duong 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Binh Duong

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 Binh Duong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $571 in Binh Duong, so Binh Duong is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.2 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 $256 in Binh Duong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Binh Duong – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $571 in Binh Duong – Binh Duong is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $571 in Binh Duong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Binh Duong but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Binh Duong 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.

Expats usually find Binh Duong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.