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 34.2% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 44.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 16.8% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 52% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$3.12 ฿99.8
272.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$24.41 ฿780
75.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$7.18 ฿230
47.63%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.03 ฿64.7
76.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.65 ฿20.83
123.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.37 ฿11.95
143.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.10 ฿67.0
44.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$3.52 ฿112
29.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.76 ฿56.3
-17.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.39 ฿44.54
31.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.28 ฿40.79
25.78%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.05 ฿65.4
23.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$16.98 ฿543
-49.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$2.94 ฿94.0
188.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$10.94 ฿350
-0.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$2.85 ฿91.2
-4.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.18 ฿37.84
26.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.94 ฿62.0
-
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.56 ฿49.84
38.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.54 ฿49.28
20.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.19 ฿38.17
84.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.02 ฿32.65
4.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.48 ฿15.31
125.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.45 ฿142
-8.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$18.74 ฿599
-44.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.81 ฿57.9
-8.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.73 ฿87.3
-6.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.93 ฿29.74
-39.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.05 ฿33.72
199.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.18 ฿37.79
100.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$6.05 ฿193
-46.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.31 ฿41.75
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$27.8K ฿889.4K
9.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$27.1K ฿866.5K
-12.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$74.5 ฿2,382
11.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$13.40 ฿428
65.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$18.24 ฿583
61.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$49.26 ฿1,575
3.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$12.03 ฿384
55.36%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$6.90 ฿221
-29.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$303 ฿9,698
-34.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$9,370 ฿299.6K
-44.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$31.75 ฿1,015
13.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$34.68 ฿1,109
13.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$81.5 ฿2,604
-1.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$67.3 ฿2,153
30.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$439 ฿14.0K
119.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$272 ฿8,702
77.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$816 ฿26.1K
101.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$656 ฿21.0K
81.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$2,474 ฿79.1K
59.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,854 ฿59.3K
251.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Pai: April 11, 2026

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

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