Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Dong Xoai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $784 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
Learn more

Dong Xoai Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Dong Xoai

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 Dong Xoai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $784 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Dong Xoai $784

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,254 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Dong Xoai $1,254

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,724 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Dong Xoai $1,724

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Dong Xoai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Dong Xoai are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Dong Xoai 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.04 ₫52.7K

435.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$19.01 ₫491.0K

128.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.39 ₫113.4K

168.34%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.71 ₫44.3K

122.81%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.54 ₫14.1K

137.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.33 ₫8,595

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.86 ₫22.3K

268.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.50 ₫38.8K

228.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.55 ₫40.1K

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.07 ₫27.6K

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.04 ₫26.8K

36.54%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.49 ₫38.5K

69.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.30 ₫317.7K

-40.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.81 ₫98.5K

102.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.67 ₫249.9K

31.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.99 ₫77.2K

-7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.10 ₫28.4K

24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.38 ₫35.6K

84.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.22 ₫31.6K

73.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.00 ₫25.9K

94.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.13 ₫29.2K

67.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.67 ₫17.2K

71.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.57 ₫14.6K

107.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.39 ₫36.0K

209.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.60 ₫299.6K

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.90 ₫23.3K

75.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.66 ₫42.8K

60.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.34 ₫8,886

61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$6.52 ₫168.5K

308.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.76 ₫19.5K

553.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.60 ₫15.5K

455.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.52 ₫65.2K

112.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.93 ₫24.1K

54.84%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$31.3K ₫807.6M

-33.90%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.4K ₫734.8M

-17.50%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$78.3 ₫2.0M

8.25%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$5.93 ₫153.3K

294.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$8.75 ₫226.0K

227.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$23.21 ₫599.5K

145.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.54 ₫194.7K

283.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$3.33 ₫86.1K

54.35%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$191 ₫4.9M

8.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$13.9K ₫358.4M

-71.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$46.29 ₫1.2M

-6.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$26.86 ₫693.9K

54.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$83.4 ₫2.2M

-10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$78.6 ₫2.0M

13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$413 ₫10.7M

137.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$282 ₫7.3M

34.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$798 ₫20.6M

114.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$625 ₫16.2M

71.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,258 ₫58.3M

74.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,202 ₫31.0M

412.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.28

38.29%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dong Xoai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Dong Xoai

$282 36% 25.9% $98

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Dong Xoai

$200 25.6% 21.4% $55

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Dong Xoai

$61 7.8% 69.9% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Dong Xoai

$93 11.9% 32% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Dong Xoai

$106 13.5% 5.3% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Dong Xoai

$30 3.8% 55.6% $37

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5% 76.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $413 in Dong Xoai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Dong Xoai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $200 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

168,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Dong Xoai 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Dong Xoai

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 Dong Xoai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $784 in Dong Xoai – roughly 54% 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 $1,176 in Dong Xoai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $784 in Dong Xoai. That’s a gap of about 54%.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dong Xoai, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Dong Xoai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dong Xoai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Dong Xoai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 54% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.