Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $866 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
Learn more

Da Nang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Da Nang

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 Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $866 in Da Nang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Da Nang $866

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,402 in Da Nang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Da Nang $1,402

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,937 in Da Nang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Da Nang $1,937

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Da Nang 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.30 ₫59.7K

372.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$19.11 ₫494.6K

131.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.54 ₫117.4K

159.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.73 ₫44.7K

112.72%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.60 ₫15.5K

123.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.34 ₫8,807

141.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.38 ₫35.9K

121.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.35 ₫60.8K

110.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.59 ₫41.1K

-7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.23 ₫31.7K

80.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.05 ₫27.1K

40.95%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.49 ₫38.5K

67.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.26 ₫343.2K

-43.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.25 ₫110.1K

87.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.57 ₫247.8K

31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.64 ₫68.3K

5.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.20 ₫31.2K

19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.31 ₫34.0K

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.53 ₫39.5K

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.14 ₫29.6K

77.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.31 ₫33.9K

51.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.03 ₫26.8K

10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.53 ₫13.7K

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.51 ₫39.2K

182.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$7.54 ₫195.2K

32.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.93 ₫24.2K

65.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.17 ₫56.2K

22.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.35 ₫8,963

51.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$5.01 ₫129.6K

449.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.04 ₫26.9K

371.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.56 ₫14.5K

512.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$19.19 ₫496.8K

-71.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.89 ₫23.1K

62.92%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$30.4K ₫788.3M

-30.51%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$28.1K ₫726.2M

-17.94%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$78.5 ₫2.0M

8.68%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$6.17 ₫159.8K

280.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$8.35 ₫216.1K

240.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.33 ₫655.7K

145.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$5.45 ₫141.0K

426.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.29 ₫85.1K

55.02%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$160 ₫4.2M

25.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$14.9K ₫385.9M

-73.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$44.73 ₫1.2M

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$27.90 ₫722.2K

48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$102 ₫2.6M

-28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$81.1 ₫2.1M

10.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$532 ₫13.8M

84.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$346 ₫9.0M

7.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,039 ₫26.9M

61.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$794 ₫20.6M

37.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,852 ₫99.7M

2.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,328 ₫34.4M

362.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$354 ₫9.2M

108.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.72

6.81%

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 Da Nang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Da Nang

$346 39.9% 7.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Da Nang

$202 23.3% 21.8% $56

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Da Nang

$68 7.9% 66% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Da Nang

$93 10.7% 32.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Da Nang

$115 13.3% 3.2% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Da Nang

$32 3.7% 55.9% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 80.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $532 in Da Nang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 108% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $202 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Da Nang 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Da Nang

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 Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $866 in Da Nang – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,300 in Da Nang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $19.00 in Da Nang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $866 in Da Nang to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.