Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Sawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Sawan: $1,044 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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Sawan
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Nakhon Sawan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nakhon Sawan $1,044

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,620 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nakhon Sawan $1,620

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,196 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nakhon Sawan $2,196

Playa del Carmen costs about 15% more than Nakhon Sawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Sawan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nakhon Sawan 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.94 ฿99.3

271.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$35.47 ฿1,197

22.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$5.97 ฿201

97.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$2.83 ฿95.4

34.63%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.67 ฿22.49

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.32 ฿10.93

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.67 ฿90.2

18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.55 ฿154

8.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.89 ฿63.6

-25.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$1.48 ฿49.90

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.39 ฿46.88

2.16%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.67 ฿56.4

50.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$17.17 ฿579

-57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.50 ฿118

120.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$12.82 ฿432

-1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.83 ฿129

-27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.71 ฿23.95

92.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.66 ฿89.6

-4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.91 ฿64.4

10.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.20 ฿40.53

61.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.21 ฿40.93

56.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.82 ฿27.68

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.48 ฿16.04

145.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$2.73 ฿92.0

57.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.65 ฿494

-32.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.58 ฿53.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.32 ฿112

-19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.93 ฿31.22

-40.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$1.03 ฿34.65

382.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.15 ฿38.64

189.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$6.08 ฿205

-11.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.26 ฿42.37

14.29%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$31.3K ฿1.1M

-34.04%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$27.2K ฿918.9K

-13.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$107 ฿3,606

-20.66%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$12.68 ฿428

84.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$17.53 ฿591

63.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$49.36 ฿1,665

15.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$13.51 ฿456

113.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$7.62 ฿257

-32.55%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$794 ฿26.8K

-73.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$16.8K ฿567.1K

-76.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$69.4 ฿2,341

-37.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$42.62 ฿1,438

-2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$99.7 ฿3,363

-25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$103 ฿3,481

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$481 ฿16.2K

103.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$332 ฿11.2K

14.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,318 ฿44.5K

29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$608 ฿20.5K

76.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,147 ฿72.4K

83.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,943 ฿65.5K

216.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$474 ฿16.0K

54.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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 Nakhon Sawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nakhon Sawan

$332 31.9% 12.7% $48

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nakhon Sawan

$256 24.5% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nakhon Sawan

$102 9.8% 49.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nakhon Sawan

$137 13.1% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nakhon Sawan

$142 13.6% 26.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nakhon Sawan

$65 6.2% 4.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nakhon Sawan

$10 * 1% 79.3% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $481 in Nakhon Sawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 55% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Nakhon Sawan. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $256 in Nakhon Sawan – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

00:49 12:49 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

82,305

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nakhon Sawan 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Sawan

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 Sawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,566 in Nakhon Sawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Sawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $35 in Nakhon Sawan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $794 in Nakhon Sawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Nakhon Sawan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.