Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chaiyaphum

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaiyaphum: $915 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Chaiyaphum
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Chaiyaphum Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Chaiyaphum

🇹🇭 Thailand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chaiyaphum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $915 in Chaiyaphum.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Chaiyaphum $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,550 in Chaiyaphum.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Chaiyaphum $1,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,185 in Chaiyaphum.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Chaiyaphum $2,185

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 32% more expensive than in Chaiyaphum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Chaiyaphum 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$1.21 ฿40.48

789.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$36.12 ฿1,207

19.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.79 ฿227

73.64%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.22 ฿40.66

217.21%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.50 ฿16.83

174.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.36 ฿12.16

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.63 ฿87.9

17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.58 ฿153

10.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.89 ฿63.3

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.44 ฿48.10

54.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.41 ฿47.13

4.26%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.54 ฿51.6

64.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$17.53 ฿586

-58.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.69 ฿123

113.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.19 ฿441

-3.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.79 ฿127

-23.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$0.60 ฿20.08

140.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.82 ฿94.1

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.89 ฿63.3

8.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.74 ฿58.0

14.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.48 ฿49.52

35.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.24 ฿41.49

-4.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.31 ฿10.52

306.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.72 ฿158

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.90 ฿498

-35.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.83 ฿61.2

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.27 ฿109

-14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.93 ฿30.95

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.06 ฿35.43

369.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.22 ฿40.91

186.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.07 ฿203

-11.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.05 ฿35.08

40.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-33.82%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.6K ฿922.3K

-13.37%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$43.17 ฿1,443

95.07%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$11.22 ฿375

113.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$11.99 ฿401

142.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$47.25 ฿1,579

33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$14.22 ฿475

104.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.53 ฿252

-34.40%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$572 ฿19.1K

-64.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.8K ฿561.3K

-76.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$69.4 ฿2,319

-37.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$42.28 ฿1,413

1.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$95.2 ฿3,181

-20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$110 ฿3,676

-19.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$437 ฿14.6K

130.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$301 ฿10.1K

24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,382 ฿46.2K

23.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$721 ฿24.1K

53.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,921 ฿64.2K

105.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,604 ฿53.6K

284.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$445 ฿14.9K

69.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chaiyaphum: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Chaiyaphum

$301 32.9% 19.6% $73

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Chaiyaphum

$261 28.6% 1.2% $3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Chaiyaphum

$70 7.7% 65.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Chaiyaphum

$66 7.3% 51.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Chaiyaphum

$143 15.6% 26.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Chaiyaphum

$62 6.8% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Chaiyaphum

$11 * 1.2% 79.3% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $437 in Chaiyaphum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 70% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Chaiyaphum. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $261, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Chaiyaphum

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

05:10 5:10 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

42,436

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chaiyaphum 15,840 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chaiyaphum

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 Chaiyaphum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaiyaphum is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $437 in Chaiyaphum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $572 in Chaiyaphum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chaiyaphum – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Chaiyaphum versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chaiyaphum but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chaiyaphum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chaiyaphum is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Chaiyaphum are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chaiyaphum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.