Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Hoi An

For one person, living is cheaper in Hoi An: $874 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Hoi An
Learn more

Hoi An Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Hoi An

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Hoi An

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $874 in Hoi An, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Hoi An $874

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,270 in Hoi An, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Hoi An $1,270

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,666 in Hoi An, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Hoi An $1,666

Playa del Carmen costs about 38% more than Hoi An, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Hoi An are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Hoi An 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.33 ₫60.4K

361.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$18.43 ₫477.2K

133.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$3.88 ₫100.3K

203.87%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.67 ₫43.3K

131.74%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.61 ₫15.9K

124.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.32 ₫8,163

162.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.33 ₫34.3K

133.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$1.38 ₫35.8K

267.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.51 ₫39.2K

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.20 ₫31.0K

85.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.00 ₫25.9K

47.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.50 ₫38.9K

68.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$12.85 ₫332.6K

-43.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$4.15 ₫107.4K

89.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.06 ₫234.6K

41.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.68 ₫69.3K

8.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.11 ₫28.7K

29.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$0.93 ₫24.2K

174.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.41 ₫36.6K

46.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.13 ₫29.3K

76.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.02 ₫26.4K

97.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.67 ₫17.3K

77.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.53 ₫13.8K

137.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$1.57 ₫40.7K

180.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$7.53 ₫194.9K

27.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$0.83 ₫21.6K

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$1.51 ₫39.0K

86.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.22 ₫5,663

159.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$3.96 ₫102.6K

602.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.01 ₫26.0K

393.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.56 ₫14.5K

525.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$3.84 ₫99.5K

40.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.94 ₫24.4K

56.38%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$31.1K ₫805.1M

-32.52%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.9K ₫721.9M

-14.27%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$77.3 ₫2.0M

9.01%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$6.17 ₫159.7K

288.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$7.99 ₫206.7K

263.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$17.04 ₫441.1K

269.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$4.93 ₫127.6K

491.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$3.03 ₫78.5K

63.04%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$116 ₫3.0M

76.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.9K ₫437.1M

-76.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$45.85 ₫1.2M

-4.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$27.13 ₫702.3K

58.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$68.6 ₫1.8M

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$80.5 ₫2.1M

10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$436 ₫11.3M

131.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$396 ₫10.3M

-5.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$538 ₫13.9M

217.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$617 ₫16.0M

79.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,546 ₫40.0M

155.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$964 ₫25.0M

539.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$294 ₫7.6M

156.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

10.34

10.74%

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 Hoi An: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Hoi An

$396 45.4% 6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Hoi An

$191 21.9% 26% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Hoi An

$63 7.3% 68.6% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Hoi An

$91 10.5% 33.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Hoi An

$100 11.4% 11.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Hoi An

$23 2.6% 68.3% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Hoi An

$8.6 1% 83.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $436 in Hoi An. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 157% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $18.00 in Hoi An. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Hoi An the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Hoi An

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

20:57 8:57 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

120,000

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Hoi An 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Hoi An

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 Hoi An: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, $874 in Hoi An – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,311 in Hoi An. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hoi An, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $116 in Hoi An. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hoi An, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Hoi An it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $874 in Hoi An to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hoi An. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.