Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dien Bien Phu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu: $770 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Dien Bien Phu
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Dien Bien Phu Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Dien Bien Phu

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $770 in Dien Bien Phu.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Dien Bien Phu $770

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,231 in Dien Bien Phu.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Dien Bien Phu $1,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,692 in Dien Bien Phu.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Dien Bien Phu $1,692

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 57% more expensive than in Dien Bien Phu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Dien Bien Phu 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.03 ₫52.6K

430.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$19.34 ₫500.7K

122.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.39 ₫113.6K

168.56%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.64 ₫42.5K

135.98%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.51 ₫13.1K

168.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.33 ₫8,660

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$0.88 ₫22.7K

252.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.43 ₫37.0K

254.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.49 ₫38.5K

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.05 ₫27.2K

112.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.94 ₫24.3K

56.38%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.51 ₫39.0K

67.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.24 ₫291.0K

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.73 ₫96.6K

110.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.86 ₫255.2K

29.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.06 ₫79.3K

-5.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.12 ₫29.0K

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.33 ₫34.5K

91.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.27 ₫32.9K

62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.07 ₫27.7K

86.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.15 ₫29.7K

74.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.65 ₫16.8K

83.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.50 ₫13.1K

152.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$1.36 ₫35.2K

223.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$12.16 ₫314.8K

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$0.88 ₫22.9K

80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.64 ₫42.5K

71.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.31 ₫8,151

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$6.45 ₫167.1K

331.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.73 ₫18.8K

582.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.61 ₫15.7K

473.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$2.39 ₫62.0K

125.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.95 ₫24.7K

54.74%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$30.4K ₫786.3M

-30.90%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$30.4K ₫786.0M

-21.25%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$77.2 ₫2.0M

9.09%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$5.79 ₫149.9K

314.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$8.56 ₫221.6K

239.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$21.91 ₫567.2K

187.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$7.83 ₫202.6K

272.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$3.06 ₫79.3K

61.44%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$159 ₫4.1M

27.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$12.4K ₫320.6M

-68.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$45.80 ₫1.2M

-4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$25.91 ₫670.9K

66.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$83.3 ₫2.2M

-9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$79.7 ₫2.1M

11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$413 ₫10.7M

144.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$276 ₫7.2M

35.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$737 ₫19.1M

131.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$607 ₫15.7M

82.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$2,783 ₫72.0M

41.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,324 ₫34.3M

365.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.46

35.34%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dien Bien Phu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Dien Bien Phu

$276 35.9% 26.2% $98

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Dien Bien Phu

$197 25.6% 23.8% $61

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Dien Bien Phu

$60 7.8% 70.5% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Dien Bien Phu

$92 11.9% 33.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Dien Bien Phu

$106 13.7% 6.5% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Dien Bien Phu

$28 3.6% 61.5% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Dien Bien Phu

$11 1.5% 78.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $413 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $19.00 in Dien Bien Phu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $197 per month, with Dien Bien Phu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Dien Bien Phu

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

08:43 8:43 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

80,366

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dien Bien Phu 15,220 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dien Bien Phu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,154 in Dien Bien Phu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $413 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $770 in Dien Bien Phu – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $770 in Dien Bien Phu versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dien Bien Phu but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Dien Bien Phu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dien Bien Phu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Dien Bien Phu 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 Dien Bien Phu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.