Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cha-am Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cha-am

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 38.7% more expensive than Cha-am without rent, and 37.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 33.4% more expensive than Cha-am without rent, and 59.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.61 MX$200

$3.10 ฿99.0

274.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.75 MX$738

$21.64 ฿692

97.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 MX$183

$9.00 ฿288

17.78%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.0

$2.04 ฿65.2

75.98%

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

$1.45 MX$25.08

$0.63 ฿20.22

130.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.50

$0.42 ฿13.30

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$52.4

$2.39 ฿76.6

26.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 MX$78.8

$3.80 ฿121

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.07

$1.75 ฿55.8

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 MX$31.55

$1.35 ฿43.01

35.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.28 ฿40.85

25.78%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.82

$1.84 ฿58.7

38.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$148

$13.51 ฿432

-36.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.47 MX$146

$3.27 ฿104

159.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 MX$188

$11.08 ฿354

-1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$47.13

$3.03 ฿96.9

-9.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.77

$1.30 ฿41.41

14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$33.55

$1.89 ฿60.4

2.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.38

$1.58 ฿50.5

36.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$31.88

$1.69 ฿54.1

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.80

$1.25 ฿40.00

75.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.52

$1.20 ฿38.48

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.71

$0.46 ฿14.61

134.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$70.1

$4.72 ฿151

-13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 MX$181

$18.93 ฿605

-44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.56

$1.75 ฿55.9

-5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$44.01

$3.53 ฿113

-27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$9.60

$0.95 ฿30.44

-41.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.20 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.2

$1.06 ฿33.94

196.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 MX$40.96

$0.71 ฿22.69

233.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 MX$56.0

$3.49 ฿112

-7.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.70

$1.35 ฿43.04

-2.96%

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

$30.5K MX$527.4K

$19.7K ฿628.3K

55.40%

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

$23.8K MX$411.4K

$21.5K ฿686.3K

10.97%

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

$83.1 MX$1,436

$72.5 ฿2,317

14.71%

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

$22.15 MX$383

$12.98 ฿415

70.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$507

$18.57 ฿594

58.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 MX$884

$24.49 ฿783

109.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 MX$323

$12.10 ฿387

54.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MX$84.4

$7.76 ฿248

-36.98%

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

$199 MX$3,431

$137 ฿4,366

45.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 MX$89.9K

$9,191 ฿293.8K

-43.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.93 MX$621

$30.01 ฿960

19.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 MX$680

$19.89 ฿636

98.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 MX$1,387

$61.5 ฿1,967

30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 MX$1,512

$44.71 ฿1,429

95.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$16.6K

$463 ฿14.8K

107.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,326

$364 ฿11.6K

32.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 MX$28.4K

$761 ฿24.3K

116.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 MX$20.6K

$672 ฿21.5K

77.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,957 MX$68.3K

$2,172 ฿69.4K

82.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,513 MX$112.5K

$1,468 ฿46.9K

343.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 MX$12.5K

$374 ฿12.0K

94.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

5.45

109.54%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: April 14, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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