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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 40.9% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 48.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 47.1% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 73.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$205
$1.98 ฿62.3
498.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$730
$15.14 ฿476
178.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$186
$6.22 ฿196
72.83%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$60.2
$1.48 ฿46.41
134.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.17
$0.56 ฿17.68
158.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.64
$0.28 ฿8.75
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$52.9
$1.82 ฿57.3
67.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$76.5
$3.67 ฿115
20.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$23.72
$1.65 ฿52.0
-16.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$32.43
$1.62 ฿51.0
15.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$26.74
$1.14 ฿35.69
35.09%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$43.36
$1.95 ฿61.3
28.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$149
$15.98 ฿502
-46.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$150
$3.10 ฿97.6
178.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$191
$10.98 ฿345
0.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$47.62
$2.55 ฿80.2
7.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$24.73
$1.01 ฿31.69
41.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$32.44
$1.64 ฿51.5
14.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$37.54
$0.94 ฿29.41
130.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$32.61
$1.40 ฿43.98
34.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$38.91
$1.12 ฿35.12
100.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.49
$0.66 ฿20.74
62.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.59
$0.52 ฿16.37
105.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$72.0
$3.78 ฿119
9.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$179
$19.09 ฿600
-45.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.08
$1.86 ฿58.4
-9.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.02
$3.26 ฿103
-23.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.61
$0.80 ฿25.16
-31.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$459
$22.77 ฿716
16.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$55.7
$1.41 ฿44.26
128.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$42.98
$1.30 ฿41.00
90.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$53.9
$8.24 ฿259
-62.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$21.75
$1.28 ฿40.19
-1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$531.0K
$20.1K ฿631.5K
52.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$416.4K
$22.4K ฿705.8K
7.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,429
$48.56 ฿1,527
69.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$386
$13.91 ฿437
60.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$520
$15.11 ฿475
98.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$891
$48.77 ฿1,533
5.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$317
$12.43 ฿391
47.14%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$86.3
$3.61 ฿114
37.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,464
$307 ฿9,654
-34.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$91.9K
$7,823 ฿246.0K
-32.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$618
$56.4 ฿1,772
-36.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$685
$26.66 ฿838
48.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,395
$71.9 ฿2,261
12.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,530
$71.5 ฿2,247
23.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$16.8K
$271 ฿8,531
257.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,352
$255 ฿8,021
89.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$27.6K
$765 ฿24.0K
108.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.5K
$502 ฿15.8K
135.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$70.1K
$2,029 ฿63.8K
99.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$113.0K
$1,009 ฿31.7K
546.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.1K
$636 ฿20.0K
18.89%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities