Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ninh Binh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ninh Binh: $727 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Ninh Binh
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Ninh Binh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ninh Binh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ninh Binh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $727 in Ninh Binh.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ninh Binh $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,162 in Ninh Binh.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ninh Binh $1,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,598 in Ninh Binh.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ninh Binh $1,598

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 65% more expensive than in Ninh Binh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ninh Binh 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$1.94 ₫50.0K

450.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$20.91 ₫538.6K

109.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$4.66 ₫120.2K

153.00%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.71 ₫44.1K

121.64%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.51 ₫13.0K

154.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.30 ₫7,834

176.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$0.97 ₫25.1K

224.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$1.50 ₫38.6K

228.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.37 ₫35.3K

2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$0.97 ₫24.9K

126.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.00 ₫25.8K

47.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$1.40 ₫36.0K

78.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$11.61 ₫299.2K

-37.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$3.69 ₫94.9K

115.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$9.71 ₫250.2K

32.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.70 ₫69.5K

7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.06 ₫27.4K

30.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$1.30 ₫33.6K

91.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$1.08 ₫27.9K

87.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$1.02 ₫26.3K

98.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.06 ₫27.2K

79.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.64 ₫16.6K

78.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$0.49 ₫12.5K

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$1.37 ₫35.3K

211.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$11.29 ₫290.9K

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$0.75 ₫19.3K

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$1.59 ₫41.0K

72.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.35 ₫8,905

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$6.51 ₫167.8K

320.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.70 ₫18.1K

580.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.66 ₫16.9K

392.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$2.72 ₫70.1K

98.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.84 ₫21.6K

82.14%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$34.7K ₫892.7M

-38.79%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$31.8K ₫818.2M

-26.76%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$74.4 ₫1.9M

12.26%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$5.83 ₫150.1K

297.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$8.89 ₫229.1K

210.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$22.02 ₫567.1K

156.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$7.69 ₫198.2K

266.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$3.13 ₫80.7K

59.74%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$264 ₫6.8M

-21.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$11.5K ₫295.7M

-54.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$41.22 ₫1.1M

5.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$23.57 ₫607.3K

80.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$87.6 ₫2.3M

-16.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$75.9 ₫2.0M

16.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$353 ₫9.1M

181.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$245 ₫6.3M

55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$723 ₫18.6M

131.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$528 ₫13.6M

104.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,092 ₫53.9M

86.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,220 ₫31.4M

402.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ninh Binh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ninh Binh

$245 33.7% 35.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ninh Binh

$189 26% 26.6% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ninh Binh

$61 8.4% 69.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ninh Binh

$89 12.3% 33.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ninh Binh

$103 14.1% 7.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ninh Binh

$28 3.9% 57.4% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ninh Binh

$12 1.6% 76.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $353 in Ninh Binh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $21 in Ninh Binh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $189 per month, with Ninh Binh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Ninh Binh

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

148,406

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ninh Binh 15,250 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ninh Binh

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 Ninh Binh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ninh Binh is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $1,091 in Ninh Binh 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: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $353 in Ninh Binh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $264 in Ninh Binh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in Ninh Binh versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ninh Binh but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ninh Binh 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 Ninh Binh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.