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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 44.9% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 28.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 13% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 43.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$3.76 ฿122
218.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$30.74 ฿995
38.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$9.13 ฿295
14.68%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$2.1 ฿68
71.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.8 ฿25.95
80.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.34 ฿11.11
161.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$2.52 ฿81.4
22.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.5 ฿80.9
83.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.68 ฿54.4
-17.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.34 ฿43.34
38.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.25 ฿40.56
25.60%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.3 ฿74.3
10.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$15.66 ฿507
-45.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$3.27 ฿106
161.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$11.34 ฿367
-3.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.39 ฿110
-19.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.34 ฿43.44
12.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$1.96 ฿63.6
-4.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.47 ฿47.45
48.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.46 ฿47.37
28.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$1.17 ฿37.98
87.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.65 ฿53.3
-35.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.56 ฿18.13
94.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$4.69 ฿152
-15.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$18.46 ฿597
-52.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$1.78 ฿57.6
-3.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$2.36 ฿76.3
10.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.32 ฿10.44
62.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$18.57 ฿601
43.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.41 ฿45.78
129.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$1.35 ฿43.6
76.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$3.34 ฿108
-6.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$1.34 ฿43.21
-2.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$26.2K ฿847.5K
15.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$27.4K ฿886.3K
-12.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$78 ฿2,524
8.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$13.89 ฿449
59.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$18.3 ฿592
64.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$43.81 ฿1,418
18.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$16.79 ฿543
11.49%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$7.78 ฿252
-34.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$297 ฿9,620
-32.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$9,230 ฿298.7K
-42.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$29.75 ฿963
20.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$19.55 ฿633
103.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$99.1 ฿3,206
-20.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$43.46 ฿1,406
103.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$552 ฿17.8K
75.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$348 ฿11.3K
36.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$1,359 ฿44K
21.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$692 ฿22.4K
73.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$2,718 ฿88K
13.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$1,912 ฿61.9K
293.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$488 ฿15.8K
62.35%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Pattaya: October 29, 2025

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