Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Cha-am

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 Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $871 in Cha-am.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cha-am $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,405 in Cha-am.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cha-am $1,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,940 in Cha-am.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cha-am $1,940

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cha-am 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.98 ฿101

266.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$22.18 ฿749

95.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.35 ฿248

60.27%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.01 ฿68.0

89.55%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.69 ฿23.34

85.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.35 ฿11.69

122.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.44 ฿82.4

29.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.93 ฿99.0

68.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.74 ฿58.6

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.47 ฿49.76

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.33 ฿44.94

6.77%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.87 ฿63.2

34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.37 ฿418

-41.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.53 ฿85.3

204.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.97 ฿337

27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.37 ฿114

-17.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.21 ฿41.01

13.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.90 ฿64.0

34.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.81 ฿61.2

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.74 ฿58.8

11.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.08 ฿36.62

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.20 ฿40.53

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.44 ฿14.81

168.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.26 ฿144

0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$17.95 ฿606

-44.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.67 ฿56.5

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.86 ฿96.6

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.91 ฿30.62

-39.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$22.60 ฿763

17.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.34 ฿45.29

270.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.08 ฿36.49

208.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$3.61 ฿122

48.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.37 ฿46.41

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$16.3K ฿551.6K

26.52%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$26.5K ฿893.4K

-11.30%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$80.9 ฿2,732

4.80%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.74 ฿397

99.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$23.19 ฿783

23.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$23.97 ฿810

138.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.88 ฿199

391.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.70 ฿226

-23.28%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$615 ฿20.8K

-66.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.6K ฿358.8K

-63.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$51.0 ฿1,722

-14.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$28.67 ฿968

44.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$72.2 ฿2,438

2.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$53.1 ฿1,791

68.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$368 ฿12.4K

166.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$267 ฿9,020

42.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$752 ฿25.4K

127.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$651 ฿22.0K

65.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$362 ฿12.2K

103.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.96

92.11%

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 Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 29.9% $114

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 8.6% $22

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 54.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 15.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 17.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 44.5% $30

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 34.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $368 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 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 $22 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $233 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

00:49 12:49 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

31,354

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cha-am 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cha-am

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 Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Cha-am differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $871 including rent). Cha-am is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 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 $368 in Cha-am. 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 $871 in Cha-am – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 15% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am 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 Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.