Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Loei

For one person, living is cheaper in Loei: $1,005 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Loei
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Loei Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Loei

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,005 in Loei.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Loei $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,612 in Loei.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Loei $1,612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,220 in Loei.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Loei $2,220

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Loei 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$3.28 ฿111

225.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$26.26 ฿886

66.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$8.02 ฿271

47.01%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$2.15 ฿72.4

76.28%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.72 ฿24.40

80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.32 ฿10.75

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.11 ฿71.3

49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$2.91 ฿98.2

69.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.93 ฿65.1

-26.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.61 ฿54.3

36.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$1.49 ฿50.4

-1.34%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$2.27 ฿76.6

10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$18.80 ฿634

-61.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$2.28 ฿76.9

248.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$11.98 ฿404

7.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.99 ฿101

-3.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$0.91 ฿30.82

51.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.21 ฿74.5

12.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.98 ฿66.7

2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.52 ฿51.1

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.27 ฿42.90

49.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$1.00 ฿33.83

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.45 ฿15.31

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$3.80 ฿128

12.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$18.74 ฿632

-47.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.65 ฿55.7

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$2.89 ฿97.4

-4.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.81 ฿27.47

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$1.35 ฿45.50

252.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.18 ฿39.69

175.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$4.14 ฿140

30.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$1.27 ฿42.73

20.47%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$29.4K ฿991.2K

-27.81%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$27.1K ฿914.0K

-14.15%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$92.4 ฿3,117

-9.66%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$9.86 ฿333

135.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$17.50 ฿590

57.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$49.98 ฿1,686

12.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$13.80 ฿465

104.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$6.29 ฿212

-20.51%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$697 ฿23.5K

-70.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$17.3K ฿583.2K

-69.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$56.3 ฿1,899

-22.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$31.06 ฿1,048

36.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$77.2 ฿2,605

-5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$73.7 ฿2,485

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$441 ฿14.9K

125.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$347 ฿11.7K

10.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$1,153 ฿38.9K

45.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$784 ฿26.4K

37.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$2,351 ฿79.3K

66.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$1,710 ฿57.7K

258.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Loei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Loei

$347 34.5% 9.4% $36

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Loei

$261 26% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Loei

$97 9.6% 51.8% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Loei

$120 11.9% 10.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Loei

$107 10.7% 3.6% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Loei

$63 6.2% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Loei

$10 * 1% 79.2% $40

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 $995 in Playa del Carmen and $441 in Loei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $26 in Loei. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $261, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Loei

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

22,677

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Playa del Carmen Loei 15,670 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Loei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,005 in Loei, so Loei is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,507 in Loei 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $441 in Loei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $697 in Loei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,005 in Loei – Loei is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Loei 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.