Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chon Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $814 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Chon Buri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $814 in Chon Buri.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chon Buri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,358 in Chon Buri.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Chon Buri $1,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,903 in Chon Buri.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Chon Buri $1,903

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Chon Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Chon Buri 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.88 ฿63.0

477.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$16.18 ฿541

173.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.67 ฿256

53.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.77 ฿59.1

107.91%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.74 ฿24.75

81.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.35 ฿11.60

134.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.77 ฿59.3

72.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.90 ฿96.8

70.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.49 ฿49.76

-1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.30 ฿43.31

70.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.22 ฿40.78

21.31%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.92 ฿64.2

29.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.38 ฿414

-39.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.44 ฿81.5

226.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.33 ฿345

21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.56 ฿119

-21.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.93 ฿31.14

53.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.45 ฿81.9

6.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.63 ฿54.4

31.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.99 ฿66.5

1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.04 ฿34.82

91.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.75 ฿25.22

52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.45 ฿15.01

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.35 ฿146

-2.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$13.97 ฿467

-28.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.61 ฿53.8

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.80 ฿60.2

47.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.99 ฿33.10

-46.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.31 ฿77.3

112.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.52 ฿50.9

125.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.10 ฿204

-11.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.32 ฿44.07

9.85%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$26.6K ฿889.2K

-20.48%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$22.2K ฿743.1K

3.52%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$83.6 ฿2,795

2.08%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.07 ฿303

158.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$23.73 ฿793

19.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$46.24 ฿1,545

34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.98 ฿467

105.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.56 ฿219

-22.26%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$727 ฿24.3K

-72.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.0K ฿367.4K

-64.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$6.05 ฿202

633.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$36.20 ฿1,210

14.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$72.8 ฿2,431

-0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$54.7 ฿1,828

63.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$531 ฿17.8K

84.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$251 ฿8,398

48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,096 ฿36.6K

53.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$721 ฿24.1K

51.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,662 ฿55.6K

137.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,462 ฿48.9K

319.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$590 ฿19.7K

24.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chon Buri: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Chon Buri

$251 30.9% 32.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Chon Buri

$218 26.8% 15.6% $40

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Chon Buri

$78 9.6% 60.9% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chon Buri

$116 14.3% 15.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chon Buri

$76 9.4% 31.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Chon Buri

$59 7.3% 18% $13

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7% 73.1% $38

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 $979 in Playa del Carmen and $531 in Chon Buri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 25% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $16.00 in Chon Buri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $218 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

70,364

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Chon Buri 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $531 in Chon Buri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $727 in Chon Buri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chon Buri delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chon Buri hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Chon Buri 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 Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.