Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pai Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pai

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 34.4% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 40% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 43.3% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 52.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$3.17 ฿100
273.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$24.17 ฿765
74.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$7.07 ฿224
52.05%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.02 ฿63.8
71.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.66 ฿20.91
119.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.37 ฿11.86
143.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.18 ฿69.1
39.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$3.65 ฿116
21.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.71 ฿54.1
-19.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.35 ฿42.81
38.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.33 ฿42.02
15.79%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.13 ฿67.4
17.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$17.44 ฿552
-50.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.01 ฿95.3
186.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$10.88 ฿344
1.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.97 ฿94.1
-7.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.24 ฿39.10
15.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.88 ฿59.4
-0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.57 ฿49.59
38.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.50 ฿47.37
25.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.26 ฿39.95
78.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.98 ฿30.92
9.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.48 ฿15.25
122.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.43 ฿140
-6.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$18.79 ฿595
-44.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.79 ฿56.7
-6.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.69 ฿85.1
-7.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.90 ฿28.60
-38.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$1.05 ฿33.31
206.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$1.14 ฿36.00
117.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$6.18 ฿196
-49.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.25 ฿39.72
0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$28.2K ฿891.3K
8.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$27.5K ฿870.5K
-12.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$74.2 ฿2,347
11.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$13.57 ฿429
64.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$18.57 ฿588
61.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$48.59 ฿1,538
5.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$12.23 ฿387
49.55%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$6.96 ฿220
-28.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$303 ฿9,574
-33.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$9,374 ฿296.7K
-43.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$32.37 ฿1,025
10.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$34.62 ฿1,096
14.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$82.3 ฿2,605
-2.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$67.1 ฿2,123
31.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$446 ฿14.1K
117.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$265 ฿8,375
82.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$816 ฿25.8K
95.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$644 ฿20.4K
83.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$2,457 ฿77.7K
64.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$1,853 ฿58.6K
252.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
5.45
109.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Pai: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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