Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Si Thammarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Si Thammarat: $1,020 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Nakhon Si Thammarat
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,020
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $1,020

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,680 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $1,680

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,341 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat $2,341

Playa del Carmen costs about 18% more than Nakhon Si Thammarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Si Thammarat are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Nakhon Si Thammarat 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$2.94 ฿98.9
262.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$32.46 ฿1,090
34.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$8.50 ฿286
38.71%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$2.80 ฿94.2
35.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.94 ฿31.74
38.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.51 ฿16.96
62.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$2.58 ฿86.7
22.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$3.81 ฿128
29.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.65 ฿55.5
-14.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.40 ฿46.88
57.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.56 ฿52.3
-5.77%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.17 ฿72.8
15.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$19.37 ฿651
-62.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$3.36 ฿113
136.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$11.11 ฿373
15.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$2.88 ฿96.7
0.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.61 ฿54.1
-14.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$2.30 ฿77.3
8.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$2.07 ฿69.6
-1.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.50 ฿50.4
34.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.38 ฿46.33
37.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.10 ฿37.10
3.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.51 ฿17.04
143.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$4.40 ฿148
-2.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$18.59 ฿625
-47.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.74 ฿58.5
-8.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.86 ฿96.1
-3.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$0.76 ฿25.42
-32.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.49 ฿50.2
219.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.71 ฿23.87
357.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$3.71 ฿125
45.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.47 ฿49.44
4.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$26.2K ฿878.9K
-18.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$27.2K ฿914.8K
-14.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$97.4 ฿3,272
-14.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$11.23 ฿377
106.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$17.19 ฿577
60.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$48.13 ฿1,617
17.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$11.52 ฿387
144.70%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$7.36 ฿247
-32.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$528 ฿17.7K
-60.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$18.3K ฿615.4K
-71.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$64.1 ฿2,152
-32.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$28.09 ฿944
51.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$97.1 ฿3,263
-25.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$88.5 ฿2,972
-0.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$419 ฿14.1K
137.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$323 ฿10.8K
18.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,300 ฿43.7K
28.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$800 ฿26.9K
35.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$2,173 ฿73.0K
79.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$1,871 ฿62.9K
228.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
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 Nakhon Si Thammarat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$323 15.6% $59
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$267 3.6% $9.2
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$109 45.6% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$126 6.3% $8.5
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$125 12.4% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$63 5.4% $3.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Nakhon Si Thammarat
$8.1 * 84% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $419 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $32 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $267 in Nakhon Si Thammarat – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇭 Nakhon Si Thammarat
🕒 Local time
04:08 4:08 AM
16:08 4:08 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
102,152
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Nakhon Si Thammarat 16,690 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Nakhon Si Thammarat

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 Si Thammarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Nakhon Si Thammarat compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat – Nakhon Si Thammarat comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Nakhon Si Thammarat?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,531 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Si Thammarat?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Si Thammarat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Nakhon Si Thammarat?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. That makes Nakhon Si Thammarat about 15% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Si Thammarat?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $528 in Nakhon Si Thammarat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Playa del Carmen compared to Nakhon Si Thammarat?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Nakhon Si Thammarat?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,020 in Nakhon Si Thammarat to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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