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 32.8% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 28.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 10.3% more expensive than Pattaya without rent, and 42.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.61 MX$200
$3.76 ฿120
208.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.75 MX$738
$31.03 ฿992
37.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 MX$183
$9.05 ฿289
17.13%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.08 ฿66.4
72.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.08
$0.87 ฿27.73
66.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.50
$0.35 ฿11.10
157.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 MX$52.4
$2.45 ฿78.3
23.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 MX$78.8
$2.48 ฿79.2
83.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$25.07
$1.75 ฿55.9
-17.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 MX$31.55
$1.39 ฿44.47
31.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$27.77
$1.28 ฿40.77
25.78%
Eggs
$2.54 MX$43.82
$2.29 ฿73.2
10.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.54 MX$148
$15.56 ฿498
-45.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.47 MX$146
$3.39 ฿108
149.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.86 MX$188
$11.07 ฿354
-1.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$47.13
$3.25 ฿104
-16.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 MX$25.77
$1.28 ฿40.77
16.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$33.55
$1.90 ฿60.7
2.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 MX$37.38
$1.47 ฿47.04
46.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 MX$31.88
$1.48 ฿47.32
25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$37.80
$1.21 ฿38.67
80.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.52
$1.63 ฿52.0
-34.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$18.71
$0.53 ฿17.02
103.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.06 MX$70.1
$4.53 ฿145
-10.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 MX$181
$18.46 ฿590
-43.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$28.56
$1.81 ฿57.7
-8.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 MX$44.01
$2.31 ฿73.9
10.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.56 MX$9.60
$0.30 ฿9.51
86.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.20 MX$453
$18.46 ฿590
41.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 MX$54.2
$1.38 ฿44.05
127.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 MX$40.96
$1.29 ฿41.10
83.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$56.0
$3.31 ฿106
-2.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$22.70
$1.29 ฿41.16
1.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MX$527.4K
$26.5K ฿847.8K
15.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$411.4K
$26.7K ฿853.3K
-10.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.1 MX$1,436
$78.1 ฿2,498
6.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.15 MX$383
$13.76 ฿440
60.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.37 MX$507
$18.15 ฿580
61.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 MX$884
$44.93 ฿1,436
13.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 MX$323
$16.67 ฿533
12.12%
Cinema Ticket
$4.89 MX$84.4
$7.57 ฿242
-35.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 MX$3,431
$294 ฿9,399
-32.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,207 MX$89.9K
$9,187 ฿293.7K
-43.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.93 MX$621
$29.40 ฿940
22.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.39 MX$680
$19.70 ฿630
99.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.3 MX$1,387
$102 ฿3,258
-21.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 MX$1,512
$43.05 ฿1,376
103.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$963 MX$16.6K
$561 ฿17.9K
71.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,326
$350 ฿11.2K
37.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 MX$28.4K
$1,339 ฿42.8K
22.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 MX$20.6K
$677 ฿21.7K
76.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,957 MX$68.3K
$3,037 ฿97.1K
30.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,513 MX$112.5K
$1,663 ฿53.2K
291.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Pattaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$726 MX$12.5K
$478 ฿15.3K
51.81%
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 Pattaya: April 13, 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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