Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cam Ranh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $740 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
Learn more

Cam Ranh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $740 in Cam Ranh.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cam Ranh $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,196 in Cam Ranh.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cam Ranh $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,653 in Cam Ranh.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cam Ranh $1,653

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Cam Ranh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cam Ranh 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.62 ₫67.8K

316.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$23.30 ₫602.3K

86.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.49 ₫116.0K

162.36%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.66 ₫42.9K

129.52%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.37 ₫9,448

245.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.21 ₫5,404

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.64 ₫16.7K

395.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.22 ₫31.5K

304.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.49 ₫38.4K

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.45 ₫11.6K

393.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.04 ₫26.8K

36.54%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.39 ₫35.9K

81.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.00 ₫310.1K

-39.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.03 ₫78.2K

154.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.28 ₫291.5K

12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$1.92 ₫49.6K

44.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.79 ₫20.4K

73.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.08 ₫27.8K

136.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.23 ₫31.8K

72.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$0.76 ₫19.7K

155.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$0.69 ₫17.8K

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.79 ₫20.5K

45.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.38 ₫9,848

210.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$1.50 ₫38.7K

186.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.56 ₫298.8K

-13.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.61 ₫15.9K

159.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.86 ₫48.1K

43.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.35 ₫8,951

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$6.42 ₫165.9K

314.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.56 ₫14.5K

787.50%

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

$2.58 ₫66.7K

107.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.87 ₫22.5K

65.52%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$31.3K ₫810.1M

-34.06%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$28.0K ₫722.8M

-16.08%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$77.6 ₫2.0M

9.27%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$6.65 ₫171.9K

252.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$9.61 ₫248.4K

198.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$23.51 ₫607.7K

142.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.55 ₫195.3K

282.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$1.98 ₫51.2K

159.60%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$215 ₫5.6M

-4.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$3,885 ₫100.4M

1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$40.65 ₫1.1M

6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$26.17 ₫676.6K

58.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$49.97 ₫1.3M

48.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$79.3 ₫2.1M

12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$412 ₫10.6M

137.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$277 ₫7.2M

37.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$807 ₫20.9M

111.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$617 ₫15.9M

74.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,268 ₫58.6M

73.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,226 ₫31.7M

402.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.28

38.29%

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 Cam Ranh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cam Ranh

$277 37.4% 27.4% $104

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cam Ranh

$180 24.3% 29.3% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cam Ranh

$62 8.4% 69.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cam Ranh

$94 12.7% 31.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cam Ranh

$88 11.9% 21% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cam Ranh

$27 3.7% 59.2% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cam Ranh

$11 1.5% 77.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $412 in Cam Ranh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Cam Ranh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $180 per month, with Cam Ranh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

17:23 5:23 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

220,630

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,849 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cam Ranh 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cam Ranh

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 Ranh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,110 in Cam Ranh 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $412 in Cam Ranh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $740 in Cam Ranh – Cam Ranh is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 76% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Cam Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.