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 29% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 25.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 34.4% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 43.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$3.79 ฿120
212.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$31.09 ฿984
35.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$9.14 ฿289
17.61%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$2.14 ฿67.8
62.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.81 ฿25.67
79.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.37 ฿11.83
143.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.49 ฿78.8
22.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.39 ฿75.7
84.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$1.75 ฿55.5
-21.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.39 ฿44.14
34.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$1.30 ฿41.20
18.46%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$2.30 ฿72.7
8.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$15.60 ฿494
-44.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.28 ฿104
163.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$11.34 ฿359
-2.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$3.37 ฿107
-18.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.29 ฿40.73
10.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.95 ฿61.8
-4.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$1.41 ฿44.48
53.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$1.49 ฿47.13
26.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$1.21 ฿38.23
85.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$1.65 ฿52.1
-35.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.54 ฿16.96
98.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$4.69 ฿148
-11.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$16.14 ฿511
-35.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$1.74 ฿55.1
-3.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$2.38 ฿75.4
4.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$0.32 ฿10.19
71.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$18.22 ฿577
45.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$1.43 ฿45.25
125.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$1.34 ฿42.27
85.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$3.33 ฿105
-6.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$1.32 ฿41.87
-4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
$25.8K ฿817.5K
18.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
$26.7K ฿845.6K
-10.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$76.9 ฿2,434
7.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$14.09 ฿446
58.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$18.69 ฿591
60.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$43.73 ฿1,384
17.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$16.87 ฿534
8.42%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$7.56 ฿239
-34.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$296 ฿9,363
-32.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$9,415 ฿298.0K
-43.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$30.16 ฿955
18.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$19.93 ฿631
98.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$101 ฿3,194
-20.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$43.26 ฿1,369
104.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$543 ฿17.2K
78.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$346 ฿10.9K
39.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$1,365 ฿43.2K
16.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$697 ฿22.1K
69.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$3,049 ฿96.5K
32.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$1,743 ฿55.2K
274.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$476 ฿15.1K
58.77%
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 Pattaya: March 3, 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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