Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nonthaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nonthaburi: $836 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Nonthaburi
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Nonthaburi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Nonthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nonthaburi

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $836 in Nonthaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Nonthaburi $836

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,303 in Nonthaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Nonthaburi $1,303

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,769 in Nonthaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Nonthaburi $1,769

Playa del Carmen costs about 45% more than Nonthaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nonthaburi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Nonthaburi 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$3.32 ฿111

224.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$24.14 ฿807

78.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.37 ฿213

85.09%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.42 ฿80.8

59.92%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.63 ฿21.19

117.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.36 ฿12.06

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.04 ฿68.3

51.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.90 ฿96.9

74.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.47 ฿49.17

-2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.32 ฿44.04

68.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.22 ฿40.71

20.49%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.21 ฿73.9

14.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$16.96 ฿567

-56.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.51 ฿83.8

213.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.32 ฿345

23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.59 ฿120

-19.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$0.97 ฿32.40

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.48 ฿82.9

2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.63 ฿54.5

26.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.68 ฿56.0

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.57 ฿52.4

28.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.20 ฿40.15

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.52 ฿17.54

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.39 ฿147

0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.25 ฿476

-32.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.83 ฿61.2

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.43 ฿81.1

15.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.92 ฿30.77

-38.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.01 ฿33.86

393.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.23 ฿40.95

184.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$3.59 ฿120

50.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.39 ฿46.39

5.76%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$16.3K ฿543.6K

29.02%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$26.9K ฿897.9K

-11.02%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$106 ฿3,549

-20.71%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$14.51 ฿485

65.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$21.52 ฿719

34.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$54.5 ฿1,823

15.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$12.34 ฿412

136.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.61 ฿221

-25.26%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$560 ฿18.7K

-63.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.4K ฿548.5K

-75.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$5.93 ฿198

635.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$35.20 ฿1,176

22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$72.5 ฿2,423

4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$59.5 ฿1,988

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$689 ฿23.0K

46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$203 ฿6,797

83.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,360 ฿45.4K

25.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$419 ฿14.0K

164.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,839 ฿61.5K

114.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,475 ฿49.3K

318.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Nonthaburi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Nonthaburi

$203 24.3% 45.6% $171

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Nonthaburi

$240 28.7% 7.3% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Nonthaburi

$95 11.3% 53.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Nonthaburi

$142 17% 3.7% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Nonthaburi

$78 9.3% 31% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Nonthaburi

$68 8.1% 7% $5.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Nonthaburi

$11 * 1.3% 79.4% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $689 in Nonthaburi. 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $24.00 in Nonthaburi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $240 – making Nonthaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Nonthaburi

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

02:37 2:37 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

254,375

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nonthaburi 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nonthaburi

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 Nonthaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,255 in Nonthaburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nonthaburi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen and $24.00 in Nonthaburi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nonthaburi, where all-in costs run around $836, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Nonthaburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nonthaburi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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