Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,037 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Phnom Penh

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Phnom Penh $1,037

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,654 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Phnom Penh $1,654

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,271 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Phnom Penh $2,271

Playa del Carmen costs about 17% more than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Phnom Penh 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$4.08 ៛16.6K

168.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$39.62 ៛160.7K

13.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$6.91 ៛28.0K

72.50%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$3.02 ៛12.3K

25.83%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.87 ៛7,583

-29.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.61 ៛2,487

40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$0.98 ៛3,969

227.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.94 ៛11.9K

70.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.17 ៛8,815

-32.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.61 ៛6,516

44.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$1.07 ៛4,322

34.58%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.73 ៛7,033

42.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$14.96 ៛60.7K

-48.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$4.07 ៛16.5K

93.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$9.25 ៛37.5K

38.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.87 ៛15.7K

-24.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.70 ៛6,889

-16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$4.30 ៛17.4K

-40.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$2.13 ៛8,659

0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.62 ៛6,559

20.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.28 ៛5,180

51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.15 ៛4,663

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.77 ៛3,104

58.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$1.95 ៛7,895

124.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$11.20 ៛45.4K

-12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.03 ៛4,171

49.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$1.79 ៛7,274

51.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.47 ៛1,903

10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$9.74 ៛39.5K

181.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$1.10 ៛4,461

346.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.98 ៛3,960

259.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$5.15 ៛20.9K

10.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.35 ៛5,492

14.07%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$35.5K ៛144.1M

-40.23%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$43.9K ៛177.9M

-44.16%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$106 ៛431.9K

-21.49%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$7.39 ៛30.0K

225.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$25.24 ៛102.4K

16.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$40.80 ៛165.5K

59.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$10.94 ៛44.4K

169.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$4.97 ៛20.2K

2.41%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$665 ៛2.7M

-68.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$11.0K ៛44.6M

-63.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$27.67 ៛112.2K

61.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$24.26 ៛98.4K

73.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$89.8 ៛364.1K

-15.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$59.1 ៛239.7K

54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$639 ៛2.6M

54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$370 ៛1.5M

4.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,148 ៛4.7M

49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$803 ៛3.3M

38.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$2,883 ៛11.7M

39.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$1,488 ៛6.0M

319.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$330 ៛1.3M

129.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.07

41.88%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9% 4.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5% 3.3% $8.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7% 45.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5% 1.6% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8% 20.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9% 32.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7% 66.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $639 in Phnom Penh. 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 129% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $40.00 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $252 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Phnom Penh 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,556 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phnom Penh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen and $40.00 in Phnom Penh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,037, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,215. In Phnom Penh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phnom Penh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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