Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Koh Lanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $907 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lanta
Learn more

Koh Lanta Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Koh Lanta

🇹🇭 Thailand

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Koh Lanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $907 in Koh Lanta.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Koh Lanta $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,498 in Koh Lanta.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Koh Lanta $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,089 in Koh Lanta.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Koh Lanta $2,089

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 34% more expensive than in Koh Lanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Koh Lanta 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$3.62 ฿121

203.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$25.92 ฿868

73.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$6.84 ฿229

74.27%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.26 ฿75.5

68.14%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.78 ฿25.96

67.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.36 ฿12.15

138.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.08 ฿69.6

54.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.95 ฿98.7

69.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.53 ฿51.4

-4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.31 ฿43.96

77.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.36 ฿45.45

5.88%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.87 ฿62.6

31.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$17.72 ฿593

-56.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$3.00 ฿101

163.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$9.85 ฿330

29.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.55 ฿85.4

14.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.52 ฿50.9

-6.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.04 ฿68.3

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.91 ฿63.8

12.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.30 ฿43.56

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.20 ฿40.09

61.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.02 ฿34.11

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.46 ฿15.55

165.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.80 ฿127

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$16.52 ฿553

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.62 ฿54.4

-4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.53 ฿84.7

7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.83 ฿61.3

-71.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$2.42 ฿81.1

102.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.82 ฿27.40

329.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$3.00 ฿100

89.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.18 ฿39.60

30.51%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$21.4K ฿716.8K

-0.80%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$20.9K ฿698.6K

17.35%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$93.3 ฿3,122

-10.34%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$10.49 ฿351

129.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$16.60 ฿556

76.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$44.05 ฿1,475

47.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$9.20 ฿308

220.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$6.55 ฿219

-22.29%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$491 ฿16.4K

-57.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$10.5K ฿351.4K

-61.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$59.6 ฿1,997

-25.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$27.29 ฿914

54.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$90.7 ฿3,038

-16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$83.0 ฿2,778

10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$439 ฿14.7K

124.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$280 ฿9,373

37.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,264 ฿42.3K

35.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$716 ฿24.0K

54.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,095 ฿70.2K

91.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,519 ฿50.9K

311.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.57

105.57%

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 Koh Lanta: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Koh Lanta

$280 30.2% 27.3% $105

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Koh Lanta

$241 26% 7.5% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Koh Lanta

$97 10.5% 52.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Koh Lanta

$120 13% 12.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Koh Lanta

$117 12.7% 2.8% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Koh Lanta

$57 6.2% 23.9% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Koh Lanta

$14 * 1.5% 73.4% $38

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 $986 in Playa del Carmen and $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $26.00 in Koh Lanta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $241 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Koh Lanta

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

32,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Koh Lanta 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Koh Lanta

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 Koh Lanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Koh Lanta differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $907 including rent). Koh Lanta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,823 in Playa del Carmen and $1,361 in Koh Lanta 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: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in Playa del Carmen versus $491 in Koh Lanta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $907 in Koh Lanta versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Lanta but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Lanta 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 Koh Lanta 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 Koh Lanta 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.