Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $801 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hanoi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $801 in Hanoi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Hanoi $801

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,246 in Hanoi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Hanoi $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,691 in Hanoi.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Hanoi $1,691

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 50% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Hanoi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.00 ₫51.6K

446.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$23.34 ₫602.8K

85.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$4.40 ₫113.8K

167.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.93 ₫50.0K

97.41%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.48 ₫12.3K

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.33 ₫8,615

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.06 ₫27.4K

199.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.96 ₫50.6K

151.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.51 ₫39.1K

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.05 ₫27.1K

111.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.80 ₫20.8K

77.50%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.46 ₫37.6K

72.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.48 ₫296.6K

-36.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.55 ₫91.8K

116.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.10 ₫260.9K

25.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.11 ₫80.2K

-10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.01 ₫26.0K

35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.33 ₫34.4K

91.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.05 ₫27.2K

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$0.91 ₫23.6K

113.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.15 ₫29.6K

64.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.54 ₫14.1K

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.55 ₫14.2K

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$1.37 ₫35.3K

213.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.82 ₫305.3K

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$0.88 ₫22.8K

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$1.71 ₫44.1K

56.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.41 ₫10.5K

34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$10.68 ₫275.8K

149.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.80 ₫20.6K

521.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.56 ₫14.4K

494.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.38 ₫61.4K

125.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.91 ₫23.5K

58.24%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$31.1K ₫804.0M

-33.61%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$28.6K ₫738.6M

-17.94%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$83.5 ₫2.2M

1.57%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$5.22 ₫134.9K

348.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$8.78 ₫226.8K

226.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$27.23 ₫703.3K

109.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$9.64 ₫249.1K

199.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$4.61 ₫119.0K

11.50%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$867 ₫22.4M

-76.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$27.7K ₫715.1M

-85.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$46.55 ₫1.2M

-6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$26.64 ₫688.1K

55.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$83.5 ₫2.2M

-11.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$76.3 ₫2.0M

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$429 ₫11.1M

128.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$287 ₫7.4M

32.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$874 ₫22.6M

95.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$549 ₫14.2M

95.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$4,936 ₫127.5M

-20.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$2,835 ₫73.2M

117.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$512 ₫13.2M

43.43%

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 Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Hanoi

$287 35.8% 24.7% $94

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Hanoi

$195 24.3% 23.6% $60

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Hanoi

$65 8.1% 67.9% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Hanoi

$97 12.2% 28.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Hanoi

$105 13.1% 6.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Hanoi

$36 4.6% 45.9% $31

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Hanoi

$16 2% 68.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $429 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 43% 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: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $195 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

8,587,100 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hanoi

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 Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Hanoi differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $801 including rent). Hanoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $429 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 60% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $867 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $801 in Hanoi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Hanoi 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.

Expats usually find Hanoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.