Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $688 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
Learn more

Hai Phong Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $688 in Hai Phong.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Hai Phong $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,162 in Hai Phong.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Hai Phong $1,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,635 in Hai Phong.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Hai Phong $1,635

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 77% more expensive than in Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Hai Phong 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$200

$1.57 ₫40.7K

598.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$819

$18.94 ₫491.3K

136.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$218

$4.26 ₫110.6K

179.81%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.5

$1.82 ₫47.2K

108.79%

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

$1.31 MX$23.95

$0.47 ₫12.3K

178.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.63

$0.30 ₫7,732

186.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$58.6

$0.80 ₫20.8K

301.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$91.5

$1.58 ₫41.1K

217.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.62

$1.55 ₫40.3K

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.48

$0.51 ₫13.3K

356.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.34

$0.82 ₫21.2K

75.61%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$44.94

$1.45 ₫37.6K

69.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.46 ₫271.3K

-26.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$144

$3.79 ₫98.4K

108.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$234

$9.96 ₫258.2K

28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.3

$3.39 ₫87.9K

-13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.96

$1.08 ₫27.9K

31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$46.84

$1.33 ₫34.5K

93.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.02

$1.14 ₫29.5K

87.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.55

$0.96 ₫24.9K

103.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.35

$1.10 ₫28.4K

76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.01

$0.55 ₫14.1K

109.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.29

$0.55 ₫14.4K

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.9

$1.16 ₫30.0K

277.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$180

$12.41 ₫321.8K

-20.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.07

$0.74 ₫19.2K

108.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.58

$1.67 ₫43.2K

62.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.58

$0.39 ₫10.0K

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$501

$5.66 ₫146.7K

384.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$89.7

$0.80 ₫20.8K

513.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.3

$0.57 ₫14.7K

517.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$1.90 ₫49.2K

199.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.12

$0.89 ₫23.1K

73.03%

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

$21.2K MX$387.8K

$30.6K ₫793.5M

-30.58%

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

$24.5K MX$447.1K

$30.1K ₫779.8M

-18.56%

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

$83.6 MX$1,527

$44.54 ₫1.2M

87.72%

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

$24.03 MX$439

$5.21 ₫135.0K

361.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$536

$8.69 ₫225.3K

237.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,184

$22.88 ₫593.4K

183.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$538

$7.79 ₫202.0K

278.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$92.9

$4.14 ₫107.4K

22.95%

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

$208 MX$3,792

$154 ₫4.0M

35.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$73.9K

$4,579 ₫118.8M

-11.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$813

$45.45 ₫1.2M

-1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$768

$21.39 ₫554.6K

96.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,379

$84.3 ₫2.2M

-10.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,668

$77.0 ₫2.0M

18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.0K

$246 ₫6.4M

300.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,033

$245 ₫6.4M

57.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.3K

$1,018 ₫26.4M

68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.2K

$627 ₫16.3M

76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.3K

$1,324 ₫34.3M

203.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.1K

$977 ₫25.3M

539.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.8K

$501 ₫13.0M

51.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

63.57%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Hai Phong

$245 35.2% 36.4% $140

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Hai Phong

$190 27.3% 27% $70

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Hai Phong

$57 8.3% 71.8% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Hai Phong

$58 8.4% 57.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Hai Phong

$103 14.8% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Hai Phong

$31 4.5% 58.5% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Hai Phong

$11 1.6% 79.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $246 in Hai Phong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 51% 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: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $19.00 in Hai Phong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $190 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,105,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hai Phong 15,170 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Hai Phong differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $688 including rent). Hai Phong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $246 in Hai Phong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $688 in Hai Phong – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 384% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $688 in Hai Phong versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.