Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cam Pha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Pha: $770 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Cam Pha
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Cam Pha Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Cam Pha

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cam Pha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $770 in Cam Pha.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Cam Pha $770

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,235 in Cam Pha.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cam Pha $1,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,700 in Cam Pha.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Cam Pha $1,700

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 56% more expensive than in Cam Pha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Cam Pha 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$2.01 ₫51.9K

430.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$23.13 ₫595.9K

89.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.24 ₫109.3K

178.07%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.85 ₫47.6K

104.86%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.51 ₫13.2K

154.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.31 ₫7,929

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.14 ₫29.4K

176.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.96 ₫50.4K

151.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.52 ₫39.1K

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.99 ₫25.6K

122.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.77 ₫19.8K

90.91%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.46 ₫37.7K

71.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$12.26 ₫316.0K

-40.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.57 ₫92.0K

122.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.45 ₫243.4K

36.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.08 ₫79.4K

-5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$0.98 ₫25.3K

40.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.35 ₫34.7K

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.12 ₫28.9K

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$0.89 ₫22.9K

126.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.15 ₫29.7K

65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.55 ₫14.1K

107.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.54 ₫13.8K

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.37 ₫35.3K

211.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$10.68 ₫275.1K

-8.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.92 ₫23.7K

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.60 ₫41.1K

71.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.32 ₫8,354

59.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$7.91 ₫203.8K

246.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.97 ₫25.0K

390.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.57 ₫14.7K

470.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.30 ₫59.2K

134.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.97 ₫25.0K

57.73%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$30.4K ₫783.0M

-30.20%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$29.7K ₫765.7M

-21.73%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$84.7 ₫2.2M

-1.44%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$5.13 ₫132.1K

352.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$8.93 ₫230.0K

209.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$20.72 ₫533.7K

172.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$8.21 ₫211.4K

243.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$4.77 ₫122.8K

4.82%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$338 ₫8.7M

-38.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$28.6K ₫736.6M

-81.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$45.08 ₫1.2M

-3.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$28.66 ₫738.3K

48.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$83.5 ₫2.2M

-12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$73.0 ₫1.9M

21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$481 ₫12.4M

106.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$269 ₫6.9M

42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$588 ₫15.2M

184.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$588 ₫15.1M

83.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,343 ₫60.4M

66.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,344 ₫34.6M

356.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.17

40.15%

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 Cam Pha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Cam Pha

$269 34.9% 29.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Cam Pha

$192 24.9% 25.4% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Cam Pha

$64 8.3% 68.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Cam Pha

$99 12.8% 26.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Cam Pha

$104 13.4% 6.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Cam Pha

$30 3.9% 54.5% $36

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cam Pha

$13 1.7% 74.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $481 in Cam Pha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Cam Pha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $192 per month, with Cam Pha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Cam Pha

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

19:52 7:52 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

182,137

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cam Pha 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cam Pha

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 Cam Pha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Pha wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cam Pha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,156 in Cam Pha 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 $481 in Cam Pha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Pha runs roughly 71% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $338 in Cam Pha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Cam Pha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.