Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Koh Samui Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Koh Samui

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 16.5% more expensive than Koh Samui without rent, and 15.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 19.9% more expensive than Koh Samui without rent, and 10.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.73 MX$222
$3.06 ฿99
283.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.52 MX$785
$30.52 ฿988
36.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.57 MX$200
$8.42 ฿273
25.53%
Cappuccino
$3.49 MX$65.9
$2.32 ฿75.2
50.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$27.33
$0.73 ฿23.56
98.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 MX$18.33
$0.39 ฿12.78
148.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$57.2
$2.42 ฿78.3
25.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.59 MX$86.8
$3.57 ฿116
28.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 MX$26.87
$1.66 ฿53.7
-14.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$35.43
$1.67 ฿54.1
11.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$29.2
$1.41 ฿45.47
9.22%
Eggs
$2.6 MX$49.21
$2.24 ฿72.4
16.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.32 MX$157
$19.36 ฿627
-57.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$2.59 ฿83.8
229.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 MX$202
$12.62 ฿408
-15.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.2
$3.38 ฿109
-21.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.5
$1.18 ฿38.31
27.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.9 MX$35.87
$2.2 ฿71.3
-13.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.45
$1.98 ฿64.1
10.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 MX$33.7
$1.45 ฿46.79
22.76%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 MX$41.05
$1.43 ฿46.33
51.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.14
$0.98 ฿31.76
9.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.53
$0.45 ฿14.51
142.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 MX$78.8
$4.23 ฿137
-1.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.75 MX$165
$18.75 ฿607
-53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MX$31.91
$1.65 ฿53.4
2.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 MX$47.74
$1.95 ฿63.2
29.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.59
$1.5 ฿48.52
-66.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.97 MX$510
$45.46 ฿1,471
-40.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 MX$61.4
$3.11 ฿101
4.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 MX$47.01
$1 ฿32.43
149.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$60.8
$14.04 ฿454
-77.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.87
$1.31 ฿42.51
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MX$564.1K
$28K ฿905.3K
6.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$442.5K
$26.6K ฿859.3K
-11.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$110 ฿3,571
-23.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.8 MX$431
$13.9 ฿450
64.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.04 MX$568
$18.32 ฿593
63.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$972
$31.07 ฿1,005
65.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 MX$346
$18.79 ฿608
-2.71%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 MX$94.1
$7.21 ฿233
-31.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$197 MX$3,719
$660 ฿21.4K
-70.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,254 MX$99.3K
$10.1K ฿327K
-48.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.81 MX$677
$52.4 ฿1,695
-31.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.43 MX$745
$34.04 ฿1,102
15.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 MX$1,529
$81.9 ฿2,649
-1.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 MX$1,631
$83.2 ฿2,693
3.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$968 MX$18.3K
$699 ฿22.6K
38.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MX$9,037
$369 ฿11.9K
29.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 MX$30.8K
$1,407 ฿45.5K
15.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$22.6K
$1,124 ฿36.4K
6.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,137 MX$59.3K
$2,004 ฿64.8K
56.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,586 MX$143.4K
$1,414 ฿45.8K
436.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Koh Samui
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 MX$15.2K
$463 ฿15K
73.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.33
114.26%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2025

Last update for Koh Samui: November 3, 2025

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