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 39% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 52.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 44.6% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 70.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.73 MX$222
$1.97 ฿63.8
495.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$785
$15.52 ฿502
167.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.57 MX$200
$6.12 ฿198
72.71%
Cappuccino
$3.49 MX$65.9
$1.43 ฿46.29
144.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$27.33
$0.57 ฿18.43
154.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$18.33
$0.28 ฿8.96
246.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$57.2
$1.87 ฿60.6
62.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 MX$86.8
$3.72 ฿120
23.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.87
$1.64 ฿53.1
-13.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$35.43
$1.62 ฿52.5
15.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$29.2
$1.19 ฿38.45
29.41%
Eggs
$2.6 MX$49.21
$1.98 ฿64.1
31.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 MX$157
$16.18 ฿523
-48.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$2.99 ฿96.9
185.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MX$202
$10.89 ฿353
-2.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.2
$2.54 ฿82.3
4.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.5
$1.04 ฿33.74
45.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.87
$1.62 ฿52.5
17.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.45
$0.95 ฿30.73
130.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.7
$1.4 ฿45.17
27.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 MX$41.05
$1.15 ฿37.3
88.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.14
$0.66 ฿21.49
62.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.53
$0.51 ฿16.61
113.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$78.8
$3.79 ฿123
10.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 MX$165
$16.25 ฿526
-46.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$31.91
$1.8 ฿58.1
-6.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 MX$47.74
$3.28 ฿106
-22.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.59
$0.74 ฿23.9
-31.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.97 MX$510
$23.13 ฿748
16.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 MX$61.4
$1.36 ฿44.01
138.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$47.01
$1.29 ฿41.84
93.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$60.8
$7.89 ฿255
-59.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.87
$1.28 ฿41.45
-1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MX$564.1K
$20.7K ฿669K
44.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$442.5K
$22.1K ฿716.3K
5.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$48.99 ฿1,585
71.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.8 MX$431
$14.17 ฿459
60.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$568
$15.16 ฿491
98.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$972
$48.38 ฿1,565
6.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 MX$346
$12.41 ฿402
47.30%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 MX$94.1
$3.65 ฿118
36.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$197 MX$3,719
$310 ฿10K
-36.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,254 MX$99.3K
$7,641 ฿247.3K
-31.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.81 MX$677
$55.9 ฿1,809
-35.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.43 MX$745
$26.33 ฿852
49.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 MX$1,529
$71.3 ฿2,307
13.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 MX$1,631
$71.4 ฿2,311
20.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$968 MX$18.3K
$269 ฿8,714
259.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MX$9,037
$254 ฿8,214
88.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 MX$30.8K
$746 ฿24.2K
118.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$22.6K
$497 ฿16.1K
140.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,137 MX$59.3K
$1,998 ฿64.7K
57.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,586 MX$143.4K
$1,007 ฿32.6K
653.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 MX$15.2K
$468 ฿15.2K
71.87%
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: November 2, 2025

Last update for Chiang Rai: November 2, 2025

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