Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Ratchasima

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $777 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nakhon Ratchasima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $777 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nakhon Ratchasima $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,275 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,773 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,773

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 55% more expensive than in Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$2.84 ฿94.9

282.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$26.08 ฿871

69.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.01 ฿201

95.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.92 ฿64.2

91.67%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.57 ฿19.14

135.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.29 ฿9.65

182.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.83 ฿61.1

67.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.75 ฿92.0

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.59 ฿53.2

-7.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.27 ฿42.52

74.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.23 ฿40.98

20.33%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.50 ฿50.2

66.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$15.63 ฿522

-51.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.66 ฿88.9

199.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.10 ฿338

24.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.10 ฿104

-10.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.28 ฿42.68

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.86 ฿62.1

40.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.95 ฿65.1

9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.20 ฿40.24

68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.03 ฿34.37

93.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.23 ฿41.02

-7.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.38 ฿12.60

215.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.89 ฿96.7

47.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$17.65 ฿590

-43.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.71 ฿57.2

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.99 ฿100.0

-11.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.43 ฿14.40

23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$18.99 ฿635

44.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.02 ฿34.03

380.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.13 ฿37.66

203.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$7.30 ฿244

-26.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.35 ฿45.03

7.41%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$46.6K ฿1.6M

-54.63%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.6K ฿889.2K

-13.49%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$86.1 ฿2,877

-0.85%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.39 ฿381

105.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$19.25 ฿643

47.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$46.92 ฿1,568

32.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$14.91 ฿498

92.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.71 ฿158

8.28%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$180 ฿6,020

11.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$14.1K ฿470.9K

-71.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$49.69 ฿1,661

-10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$29.73 ฿994

39.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$78.9 ฿2,637

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$67.1 ฿2,243

33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$217 ฿7,263

350.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$158 ฿5,292

135.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$496 ฿16.6K

238.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$420 ฿14.1K

160.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,287 ฿109.9K

20.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,737 ฿58.1K

253.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$615 ฿20.6K

19.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.1

124.51%

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 Nakhon Ratchasima: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4% 57.5% $214

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$235 30.3% 8.9% $23

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$82 10.5% 59.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$117 15% 14.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13.1% 9.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.3% 22.2% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$27 3.5% 47.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $217 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 20% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $26.00 in Nakhon Ratchasima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $235 per month, with Nakhon Ratchasima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

14:05 2:05 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

126,391

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nakhon Ratchasima 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Ratchasima

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 Nakhon Ratchasima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Ratchasima differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,204 vs $777 including rent). Nakhon Ratchasima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $217 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $777 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nakhon Ratchasima but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhon Ratchasima 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.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Ratchasima 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 Nakhon Ratchasima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.