Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pathein

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathein: $1,019 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,019 in Pathein.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Pathein $1,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,843 in Pathein.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Pathein $1,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,666 in Pathein.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Pathein $2,666

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 18% more expensive than in Pathein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Pathein 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.54 MMK 3,223

609.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$20.05 MMK 42.0K

116.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$8.08 MMK 16.9K

45.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.53 MMK 3,210

149.02%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.52 MMK 1,098

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.52 MMK 1,092

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.53 MMK 3,211

107.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$1.02 MMK 2,129

383.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.52 MMK 3,178

46.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.93 MMK 6,133

-51.54%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.39 MMK 5,000

5.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$40.69 MMK 85.2K

-82.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$5.91 MMK 12.4K

30.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.98 MMK 16.7K

59.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$9.83 MMK 20.6K

-71.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$10.05 MMK 21.0K

-74.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$4.88 MMK 10.2K

-56.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$4.09 MMK 8,555

-52.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.96 MMK 4,102

-3.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.51 MMK 1,073

125.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.94 MMK 6,151

46.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$19.73 MMK 41.3K

-49.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.54 MMK 3,218

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.05 MMK 4,299

30.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.98 MMK 2,043

239.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.97 MMK 6,214

80.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.95 MMK 4,091

-26.15%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$32.3K MMK 67.7M

-36.06%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

-25.23%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

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

$23.41 MX$436

$19.80 MMK 41.5K

18.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$10.03 MMK 21.0K

185.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$151 MMK 315.1K

-62.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.03 MMK 4,247

153.20%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$395 MMK 827.0K

-47.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$4,846 MMK 10.1M

-18.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$19.85 MMK 41.6K

118.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$15.17 MMK 31.8K

173.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$49.73 MMK 104.1K

49.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$59.4 MMK 124.4K

50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$406 MMK 850.2K

141.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$301 MMK 629.3K

26.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,079 MMK 2.3M

58.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,014 MMK 2.1M

6.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pathein: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Pathein

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Pathein

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Pathein

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Pathein

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Pathein

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Pathein

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Pathein

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $406 in Pathein. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $20 in Pathein. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $395, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇲🇲 Pathein

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

05:34 5:34 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

315,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.29 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,331 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.29 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pathein 15,850 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pathein

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 Pathein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,019 in Pathein, so Pathein is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,528 in Pathein 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $406 in Pathein. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $395 in Pathein. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pathein – a meal for two runs $20 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Pathein gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.