Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Khlong Luang

For one person, living is cheaper in Khlong Luang: $952 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Khlong Luang
Learn more

Khlong Luang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Khlong Luang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Khlong Luang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $952 in Khlong Luang.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Khlong Luang $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,575 in Khlong Luang.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Khlong Luang $1,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,198 in Khlong Luang.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Khlong Luang $2,198

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 27% more expensive than in Khlong Luang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Khlong Luang 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.53 ฿118

204.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$36.21 ฿1,210

18.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$9.09 ฿304

29.70%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.05 ฿68.7

88.78%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.69 ฿23.12

98.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.30 ฿10.02

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.35 ฿78.4

31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.69 ฿89.8

88.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.71 ฿57.3

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.46 ฿48.89

52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.36 ฿45.41

8.09%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.21 ฿73.7

14.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$15.41 ฿515

-52.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.66 ฿88.9

195.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$9.93 ฿332

28.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.36 ฿112

-13.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.19 ฿39.90

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.93 ฿64.5

32.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.97 ฿66.0

4.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.22 ฿40.92

63.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.04 ฿34.89

93.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.25 ฿41.81

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.44 ฿14.73

186.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.27 ฿143

3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$17.90 ฿598

-46.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.69 ฿56.5

-5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.90 ฿97.0

-3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.91 ฿30.57

-37.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.32 ฿44.13

277.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.13 ฿37.73

209.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$3.61 ฿121

49.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.49 ฿49.63

-1.34%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$45.4K ฿1.5M

-53.79%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$26.9K ฿899.7K

-11.20%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$91.4 ฿3,053

-7.82%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$11.41 ฿381

110.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$19.33 ฿646

50.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$46.86 ฿1,566

34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$13.96 ฿466

108.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.47 ฿250

-33.87%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$615 ฿20.6K

-66.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$14.2K ฿473.3K

-72.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$51.2 ฿1,711

-14.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$29.51 ฿986

46.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$93.8 ฿3,136

-19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$75.8 ฿2,533

16.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$438 ฿14.7K

129.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$300 ฿10.0K

24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,399 ฿46.8K

22.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$733 ฿24.5K

50.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,955 ฿65.3K

101.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,596 ฿53.3K

286.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.96

92.11%

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 Khlong Luang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Khlong Luang

$300 31.6% 19.7% $74

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Khlong Luang

$243 25.5% 6% $15

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Khlong Luang

$101 10.6% 50% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Khlong Luang

$122 12.8% 11% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Khlong Luang

$113 11.8% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Khlong Luang

$62 6.5% 15.2% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Khlong Luang

$11 * 1.1% 79.8% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $438 in Khlong Luang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Khlong Luang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $243 per month, with Khlong Luang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Khlong Luang

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

118,551

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Khlong Luang 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Khlong Luang

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 Khlong Luang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khlong Luang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,428 in Khlong Luang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $438 in Khlong Luang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $952 in Khlong Luang – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $952 in Khlong Luang versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khlong Luang but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Khlong Luang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Khlong Luang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Khlong Luang 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 Khlong Luang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.