Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 50.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 44.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 19.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 65.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$2.02 ฿65.3
493.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$18.78 ฿608
126.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$7.67 ฿248
36.51%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.98 ฿64.2
81.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.82 ฿26.64
75.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.33 ฿10.58
169.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.12 ฿68.6
45.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$3.73 ฿121
22.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.64 ฿53.2
-15.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.57 ฿50.9
17.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.19 ฿38.62
31.93%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$1.98 ฿64.1
28.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$15.99 ฿517
-46.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.12 ฿101
173.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$11.16 ฿361
-1.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.76 ฿89.2
-1.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.22 ฿39.5
23.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.71 ฿55.4
9.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.55 ฿50.2
41.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.34 ฿43.21
39.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.21 ฿39.23
80.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$0.72 ฿23.2
48.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.53 ฿17.05
105.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.72 ฿153
-16.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$18.39 ฿595
-51.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.79 ฿57.9
-3.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$3.21 ฿104
-18.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.94 ฿30.44
-44.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$18.9 ฿612
40.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.42 ฿46.08
128.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.35 ฿43.53
76.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$7.85 ฿254
-60.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.25 ฿40.4
4.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
43.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
9.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$70.6 ฿2,285
19.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$13.72 ฿444
61.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$17.56 ฿568
71.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$41.64 ฿1,347
24.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$6.9 ฿223
171.30%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$5.8 ฿188
-12.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$308 ฿9,963
-34.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-63.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$55.4 ฿1,793
-35.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$26.4 ฿854
50.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$85.1 ฿2,755
-7.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$71.8 ฿2,323
23.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$434 ฿14K
122.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$235 ฿7,610
101.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$821 ฿26.6K
101.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$498 ฿16.1K
141.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,180 ฿70.6K
41.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,543 ฿49.9K
388.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$703 ฿22.8K
12.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5
128.40%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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