Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nha Trang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $679 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nha Trang
Learn more

Nha Trang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nha Trang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nha Trang

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $679 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nha Trang $679

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,127 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nha Trang $1,127

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,575 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nha Trang $1,575

Playa del Carmen costs about 77% more than Nha Trang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nha Trang are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nha Trang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.65 ₫68.3K

312.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$23.30 ₫601.1K

86.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$4.59 ₫118.4K

156.64%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$1.70 ₫43.7K

124.12%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$0.37 ₫9,525

245.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.21 ₫5,409

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$0.63 ₫16.3K

403.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.22 ₫31.4K

304.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.48 ₫38.2K

-4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$0.44 ₫11.5K

404.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$1.01 ₫26.0K

40.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$1.44 ₫37.2K

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.91 ₫307.4K

-39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$3.02 ₫78.0K

154.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$11.14 ₫287.5K

13.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$1.98 ₫51.2K

40.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$0.82 ₫21.2K

67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$1.07 ₫27.6K

138.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$1.19 ₫30.7K

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$0.76 ₫19.7K

155.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$0.67 ₫17.4K

182.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$0.75 ₫19.3K

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$0.42 ₫10.8K

180.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$1.51 ₫38.9K

184.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.55 ₫298.1K

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$0.57 ₫14.8K

177.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$1.80 ₫46.5K

48.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$0.30 ₫7,630

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$0.61 ₫15.7K

714.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.55 ₫14.2K

505.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$0.92 ₫23.7K

56.52%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$31.1K ₫801.9M

-33.51%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$27.6K ₫713.2M

-15.11%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$75.8 ₫2.0M

11.87%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$6.60 ₫170.3K

254.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$9.16 ₫236.5K

212.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$21.95 ₫566.2K

159.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$18.03 ₫465.1K

60.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$1.95 ₫50.4K

163.59%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$214 ₫5.5M

-3.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$3,930 ₫101.4M

-0.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$41.01 ₫1.1M

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$48.97 ₫1.3M

51.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$409 ₫10.6M

139.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$274 ₫7.1M

39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$762 ₫19.7M

124.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$653 ₫16.8M

64.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$2,795 ₫72.1M

41.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$1,517 ₫39.1M

306.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$301 ₫7.8M

143.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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 Nha Trang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nha Trang

$274 40.3% 28.1% $107

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nha Trang

$180 26.5% 29.5% $75

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nha Trang

$63 9.3% 68.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nha Trang

$92 13.5% 33.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nha Trang

$40 * 6% 63.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nha Trang

$26 3.8% 61.6% $41

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nha Trang

$4.6 * 0.7% 91% $46

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 $409 in Nha Trang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $23 in Nha Trang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $180 – making Nha Trang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Nha Trang

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

07:10 7:10 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

579,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nha Trang 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nha Trang

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 Nha Trang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $679 in Nha Trang – Nha Trang comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,019 in Nha Trang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nha Trang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $23 in Nha Trang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nha Trang, where all-in costs run around $679, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Nha Trang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nha Trang costs $679 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nha Trang. 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.