Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 41% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$1.91 ₫49.3K

471.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$22.93 ₫591.8K

89.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.69 ₫121.0K

151.17%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.80 ₫46.4K

111.67%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.55 ₫14.2K

132.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.34 ₫8,802

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.03 ₫26.7K

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.72 ₫44.4K

186.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.67 ₫43.0K

-15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.09 ₫28.2K

103.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.06 ₫27.2K

33.96%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.60 ₫41.2K

57.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$12.08 ₫311.8K

-39.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.66 ₫94.4K

110.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$10.35 ₫267.0K

22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.26 ₫32.5K

8.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.62 ₫41.9K

57.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.27 ₫32.7K

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.18 ₫30.5K

64.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.19 ₫30.7K

58.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.78 ₫20.1K

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.55 ₫14.2K

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.26 ₫32.5K

241.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.85 ₫331.5K

-22.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.90 ₫23.1K

75.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.46 ₫37.6K

82.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.28 ₫7,252

96.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$11.42 ₫294.7K

133.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.70 ₫18.1K

610.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.63 ₫16.2K

428.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$3.09 ₫79.7K

73.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.95 ₫24.5K

51.58%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$30.5K ₫787.4M

-32.28%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$29.7K ₫767.0M

-21.06%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$102 ₫2.6M

-17.05%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$5.65 ₫145.7K

314.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$10.43 ₫269.2K

174.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$19.30 ₫498.1K

195.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$11.81 ₫304.8K

144.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$3.83 ₫98.8K

34.20%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$484 ₫12.5M

-57.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$23.3K ₫601.6M

-83.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$52.3 ₫1.3M

-17.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$34.35 ₫886.3K

20.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$647 ₫16.7M

51.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$297 ₫7.7M

28.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$719 ₫18.6M

49.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,327 ₫111.6M

-8.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

209.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$490 ₫12.6M

49.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.64

32.52%

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 22% $84

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 18.4% $47

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 68.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 13.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 60% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 67.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $208 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 16,210 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% 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 $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.