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 27.4% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 51.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 8.3% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 76% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$1.98 ฿63.4
486.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$15.45 ฿494
176.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$6.23 ฿199
70.14%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$1.42 ฿45.45
152.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.57 ฿18.13
154.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.28 ฿8.82
221.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$1.80 ฿57.7
68.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.68 ฿118
23.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.70 ฿54.2
-14.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.61 ฿51.4
13.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.20 ฿38.29
34.17%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$1.89 ฿60.6
34.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$16.24 ฿519
-47.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.04 ฿97.2
178.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$11.07 ฿354
-1.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.53 ฿80.8
7.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.05 ฿33.57
41.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.63 ฿52.0
19.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$0.91 ฿29.03
137.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.40 ฿44.63
32.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.10 ฿35.21
99.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$0.70 ฿22.49
52.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.53 ฿16.92
103.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$3.60 ฿115
12.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$18.38 ฿588
-43.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.82 ฿58.2
-9.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$3.34 ฿107
-23.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.75 ฿23.91
-25.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$23.05 ฿737
13.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.40 ฿44.86
124.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.33 ฿42.62
78.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$8.22 ฿263
-60.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.23 ฿39.39
6.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$20.6K ฿659.4K
48.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$21.8K ฿696.9K
9.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$48.57 ฿1,553
71.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$14.11 ฿451
56.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$15.36 ฿491
91.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$48.36 ฿1,546
5.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$12.18 ฿389
53.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$3.66 ฿117
33.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$304 ฿9,732
-34.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$7,575 ฿242.2K
-31.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$55.6 ฿1,777
-35.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$26.52 ฿848
48.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$73.0 ฿2,333
10.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$69.8 ฿2,232
25.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$263 ฿8,393
266.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$255 ฿8,167
88.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$770 ฿24.6K
113.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$488 ฿15.6K
144.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,045 ฿65.4K
93.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,023 ฿32.7K
536.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Chiang Rai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$615 ฿19.6K
18.18%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: April 13, 2026

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

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