Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pak Kret

For one person, living is cheaper in Pak Kret: $934 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Pak Kret
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Pak Kret Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Pak Kret

🇹🇭 Thailand

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Pak Kret

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $934 in Pak Kret.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Pak Kret $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,556 in Pak Kret.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Pak Kret $1,556

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,178 in Pak Kret.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Pak Kret $2,178

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 30% more expensive than in Pak Kret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Pak Kret 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.94 ฿98.4

265.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$36.19 ฿1,209

18.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.92 ฿231

70.38%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$2.02 ฿67.6

91.58%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.67 ฿22.45

104.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.30 ฿9.95

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.41 ฿80.6

28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$2.63 ฿88.1

92.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.78 ฿59.4

-19.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.47 ฿49.15

51.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.40 ฿46.72

5.00%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.21 ฿73.9

14.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$15.53 ฿519

-52.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.54 ฿84.9

209.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$10.01 ฿334

27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.49 ฿116

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.20 ฿40.17

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.83 ฿61.1

39.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.87 ฿62.4

10.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.20 ฿40.02

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.04 ฿34.80

93.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.28 ฿42.67

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.48 ฿15.91

162.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.38 ฿146

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$14.93 ฿499

-35.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.69 ฿56.6

-5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.87 ฿96.0

-2.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.90 ฿30.22

-36.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.06 ฿35.47

369.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.11 ฿37.11

215.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$3.66 ฿122

47.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.42 ฿47.49

3.52%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-32.37%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$26.7K ฿892.5K

-10.48%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$93.5 ฿3,125

-9.95%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$11.46 ฿383

109.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$18.10 ฿605

60.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$46.70 ฿1,561

34.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$14.31 ฿478

103.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$7.62 ฿255

-35.17%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$566 ฿18.9K

-64.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$14.4K ฿482.6K

-72.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$51.0 ฿1,705

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$29.65 ฿991

45.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$94.3 ฿3,152

-19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$76.6 ฿2,561

15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$451 ฿15.1K

123.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$298 ฿9,947

25.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,389 ฿46.4K

23.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$740 ฿24.7K

49.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,924 ฿64.3K

104.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$1,553 ฿51.9K

297.11%

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 Pak Kret: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Pak Kret

$298 31.9% 20.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Pak Kret

$238 25.5% 7.9% $20

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Pak Kret

$90 9.6% 55.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Pak Kret

$123 13.2% 10.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Pak Kret

$113 12.1% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Pak Kret

$62 6.6% 15% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Pak Kret

$10 * 1.1% 80.5% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $451 in Pak Kret. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $36.00 in Pak Kret for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $238 per month, with Pak Kret cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Pak Kret

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

05:34 5:34 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

190,272

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pak Kret

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 Pak Kret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pak Kret is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,816 in Playa del Carmen and $1,401 in Pak Kret 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $451 in Pak Kret. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $934 in Pak Kret – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $934 in Pak Kret versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pak Kret but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Pak Kret the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pak Kret is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Pak Kret are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pak Kret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.