Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mui Ne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mui Ne: $736 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mui Ne
Learn more

Mui Ne Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Mui Ne

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Mui Ne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $736 in Mui Ne.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Mui Ne $736

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,175 in Mui Ne.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Mui Ne $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,615 in Mui Ne.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Mui Ne $1,615

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 64% more expensive than in Mui Ne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Mui Ne 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.93 ₫50.0K

465.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$21.28 ₫550.1K

103.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$4.63 ₫119.7K

154.43%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.79 ₫46.2K

112.85%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.47 ₫12.1K

172.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.30 ₫7,862

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$0.99 ₫25.7K

220.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$1.57 ₫40.7K

214.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.37 ₫35.3K

2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$0.94 ₫24.4K

136.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$0.95 ₫24.6K

49.47%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.43 ₫36.9K

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.62 ₫300.3K

-37.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.67 ₫94.8K

109.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$10.07 ₫260.3K

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.65 ₫68.6K

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.02 ₫26.3K

34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$1.29 ₫33.4K

97.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$1.08 ₫28.0K

96.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.08 ₫27.9K

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.01 ₫26.1K

87.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.69 ₫17.8K

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.52 ₫13.5K

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$1.37 ₫35.5K

213.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.31 ₫292.5K

-12.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$0.81 ₫20.8K

95.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$1.60 ₫41.4K

66.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.34 ₫8,894

61.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$6.63 ₫171.3K

301.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.70 ₫18.2K

610.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.61 ₫15.8K

445.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.74 ₫71.0K

95.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$0.89 ₫23.1K

61.80%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$34.4K ₫890.4M

-40.00%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$32.1K ₫830.5M

-26.96%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$74.8 ₫1.9M

13.40%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$5.87 ₫151.7K

298.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$8.82 ₫227.9K

224.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$22.18 ₫573.3K

157.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$7.49 ₫193.6K

285.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.16 ₫81.7K

62.66%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$268 ₫6.9M

-23.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$11.8K ₫304.3M

-66.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$41.07 ₫1.1M

5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$22.78 ₫588.9K

81.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$85.7 ₫2.2M

-13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$75.5 ₫2.0M

18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$354 ₫9.2M

176.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$252 ₫6.5M

50.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$727 ₫18.8M

134.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$543 ₫14.0M

98.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$2,056 ₫53.1M

91.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$1,265 ₫32.7M

386.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.1

25.82%

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 Mui Ne: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Mui Ne

$252 34.3% 33.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Mui Ne

$190 25.9% 25.4% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Mui Ne

$62 8.4% 69.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Mui Ne

$89 12.2% 34.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Mui Ne

$101 13.8% 9.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Mui Ne

$29 3.9% 57.7% $39

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Mui Ne

$12 1.6% 76.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $354 in Mui Ne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $21 in Mui Ne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $190 per month, with Mui Ne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Mui Ne

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

25,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Mui Ne 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Mui Ne

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 Mui Ne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $736 in Mui Ne, so Mui Ne is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,103 in Mui Ne 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $354 in Mui Ne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $268 in Mui Ne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Mui Ne versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mui Ne but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Mui Ne 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.

Expats usually find Mui Ne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.