Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Phitsanulok

For one person, living is cheaper in Phitsanulok: $888 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Phitsanulok
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Phitsanulok Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Phitsanulok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $888 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Phitsanulok $888

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,437 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Phitsanulok $1,437

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,986 in Phitsanulok, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Phitsanulok $1,986

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Phitsanulok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Phitsanulok are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Phitsanulok 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$2.29 ฿77.2

376.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$19.59 ฿662

121.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.45 ฿184

116.15%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.68 ฿56.7

126.79%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.64 ฿21.52

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.34 ฿11.32

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.33 ฿78.8

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.82 ฿129

29.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.02 ฿68.3

-30.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.42 ฿47.83

56.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.34 ฿45.17

5.97%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.21 ฿74.8

14.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$16.64 ฿562

-56.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.72 ฿91.9

183.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$9.37 ฿317

35.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.38 ฿80.3

16.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$0.98 ฿32.95

39.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.62 ฿54.8

57.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.46 ฿49.34

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.31 ฿44.13

48.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.06 ฿35.72

78.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.71 ฿23.95

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.52 ฿17.62

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.38 ฿148

-1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.12 ฿612

-45.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.63 ฿55.1

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.84 ฿95.8

-5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.87 ฿29.36

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.22 ฿41.12

307.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.53 ฿18.03

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.35 ฿79.3

128.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.51 ฿51.0

-4.64%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.8K ฿702.8K

-0.70%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$27.0K ฿911.8K

-13.10%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$61.5 ฿2,076

37.89%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$12.27 ฿414

90.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.22 ฿683

41.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$47.68 ฿1,610

19.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$13.08 ฿442

121.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.71 ฿227

-23.40%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$776 ฿26.2K

-73.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$15.0K ฿505.5K

-73.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$53.7 ฿1,812

-19.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$25.26 ฿853

64.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$92.7 ฿3,131

-19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$72.1 ฿2,433

23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$434 ฿14.7K

125.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$301 ฿10.2K

26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,167 ฿39.4K

46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$707 ฿23.9K

52.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,942 ฿65.6K

103.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,443 ฿48.7K

326.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$471 ฿15.9K

55.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.57

105.57%

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 Phitsanulok: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Phitsanulok

$301 33.9% 21.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Phitsanulok

$237 26.7% 7% $18

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Phitsanulok

$78 8.8% 61.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Phitsanulok

$94 10.6% 31.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Phitsanulok

$110 12.4% 1.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Phitsanulok

$61 6.9% 9.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Phitsanulok

$7.4 * 0.8% 85.4% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $434 in Phitsanulok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $20 in Phitsanulok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $237 – making Phitsanulok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Phitsanulok

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

04:36 4:36 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

66,106

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Phitsanulok 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Phitsanulok

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 Phitsanulok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Phitsanulok, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,332 in Phitsanulok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phitsanulok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $888 in Phitsanulok. That makes Phitsanulok about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $776 in Phitsanulok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $888 in Phitsanulok. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $888 in Phitsanulok to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Phitsanulok. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.