Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Krabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,006 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
Learn more

Krabi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Krabi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,006 in Krabi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Krabi $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,391 in Krabi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Krabi $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,775 in Krabi.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Krabi $1,775

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 20% more expensive than in Krabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Krabi 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.94 ฿99.4

271.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$18.85 ฿637

130.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.48 ฿286

38.92%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.75 ฿59.2

117.71%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.05 ฿35.46

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.43 ฿14.56

81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.79 ฿60.5

77.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.32 ฿78.5

112.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.25 ฿76.0

-37.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.07 ฿69.9

-31.40%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.88 ฿63.6

34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$16.05 ฿542

-54.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.76 ฿93.2

178.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.80 ฿264

62.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.37 ฿80.2

17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.03 ฿34.91

33.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.21 ฿74.7

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.44 ฿48.56

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.39 ฿46.97

39.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.29 ฿43.51

46.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.47 ฿49.51

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.51 ฿17.35

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.53 ฿153

-5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.43 ฿352

-4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.74 ฿58.9

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.46 ฿83.1

8.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.93 ฿31.28

-40.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.34 ฿79.1

112.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.78 ฿60.2

87.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.06 ฿205

-11.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.37 ฿46.34

5.11%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$21.7K ฿733.6K

-4.87%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$24.4K ฿825.4K

-3.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$69.1 ฿2,333

22.72%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$11.47 ฿387

104.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$24.42 ฿825

17.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$61.9 ฿2,090

-7.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$9.09 ฿307

218.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.33 ฿248

-29.88%

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

$207 MX$3,851

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,136 ฿274.7K

-51.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$14.70 ฿496

194.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$15.01 ฿507

176.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$74.3 ฿2,509

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$74.5 ฿2,515

19.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$339 ฿11.5K

188.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$414 ฿14.0K

-7.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$700 ฿23.6K

144.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$509 ฿17.2K

111.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,186 ฿40.1K

232.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,017 ฿34.4K

505.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$708 ฿23.9K

3.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.4

54.73%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Krabi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Krabi

$414 41.1% 8.7% $33

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Krabi

$226 22.5% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Krabi

$90 8.9% 55.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Krabi

$105 10.4% 23.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Krabi

$80 8% 28.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Krabi

$77 7.6% 13.7% $9.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Krabi

$15 * 1.5% 70.3% $35

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 $980 in Playa del Carmen and $339 in Krabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $19 in Krabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $226 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Krabi

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

03:36 3:36 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Krabi 16,760 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Krabi

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 Krabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,006 in Krabi, so Krabi is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Playa del Carmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $339 in Krabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,006 in Krabi – Krabi is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Krabi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Krabi wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.