Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Koh Tao

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,045 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
Learn more

Koh Tao Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,045 in Koh Tao.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Koh Tao $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,724 in Koh Tao.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Koh Tao $1,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,404 in Koh Tao.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Koh Tao $2,404

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 15% more expensive than in Koh Tao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Koh Tao 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.89 ฿130

179.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$27.00 ฿902

63.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.49 ฿250

57.01%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.39 ฿79.8

53.97%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.76 ฿25.49

76.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.42 ฿14.04

95.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.12 ฿71.0

44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.23 ฿108

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.57 ฿52.6

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.38 ฿46.03

60.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.45 ฿48.38

2.07%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.08 ฿69.6

19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$18.21 ฿609

-58.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.27 ฿109

143.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.34 ฿346

21.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.80 ฿93.5

-0.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.56 ฿52.1

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.19 ฿73.1

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.05 ฿68.4

4.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.40 ฿46.78

44.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.26 ฿42.08

57.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.05 ฿35.10

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.49 ฿16.31

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.05 ฿135

5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$17.60 ฿588

-43.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.68 ฿56.0

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.63 ฿88.0

1.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$2.02 ฿67.5

-73.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.76 ฿92.2

77.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.98 ฿32.79

250.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.37 ฿113

59.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.27 ฿42.56

14.17%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$24.6K ฿821.9K

-13.97%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$23.8K ฿796.1K

-3.37%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$96.6 ฿3,229

-11.64%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.21 ฿375

109.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$17.15 ฿573

65.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$55.6 ฿1,858

11.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$11.50 ฿384

149.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.82 ฿261

-34.78%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$566 ฿18.9K

-64.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.7K ฿389.6K

-66.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$63.2 ฿2,112

-29.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$28.21 ฿943

46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$96.4 ฿3,222

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$88.8 ฿2,968

0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$550 ฿18.4K

77.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$351 ฿11.7K

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,583 ฿52.9K

6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$893 ฿29.8K

22.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,685 ฿89.7K

47.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,889 ฿63.1K

224.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Koh Tao: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Koh Tao

$351 33.6% 5.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Koh Tao

$254 24.3% 1.9% $4.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Koh Tao

$104 10% 48% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Koh Tao

$125 12% 8.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Koh Tao

$124 11.9% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Koh Tao

$71 6.8% 1.6% $1.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Koh Tao

$16 * 1.5% 69.5% $36

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 $979 in Playa del Carmen and $550 in Koh Tao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $27.00 in Koh Tao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $254 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

18:41 6:41 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,382

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Koh Tao 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Koh Tao

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 Tao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Tao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,567 in Koh Tao 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $550 in Koh Tao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $566 in Koh Tao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Tao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,045 in Koh Tao versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koh Tao but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Tao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Koh Tao 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 Koh Tao 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 Tao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.