Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Quy Nhon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quy Nhon City: $695 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Quy Nhon City
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$695
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Quy Nhon City

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 Quy Nhon City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $695 in Quy Nhon City, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Quy Nhon City $695

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,066 in Quy Nhon City, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Quy Nhon City $1,066

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,437 in Quy Nhon City, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Quy Nhon City $1,437

Playa del Carmen costs about 73% more than Quy Nhon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Quy Nhon City are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Quy Nhon City 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$1.87 ₫48.5K
480.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$19.40 ₫502.4K
127.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$7.16 ₫185.4K
64.25%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$1.47 ₫38.1K
150.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$0.72 ₫18.7K
86.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.50 ₫13.0K
64.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$0.95 ₫24.7K
222.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$1.13 ₫29.3K
337.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.55 ₫40.2K
-5.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$0.78 ₫20.2K
184.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.03 ₫26.6K
43.69%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$1.66 ₫43.0K
50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$12.12 ₫313.8K
-37.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$3.70 ₫95.8K
115.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$11.97 ₫310.0K
5.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.15 ₫81.7K
-11.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$0.78 ₫20.3K
83.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.39 ₫35.9K
88.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$0.85 ₫22.0K
151.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$0.93 ₫24.2K
117.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$0.75 ₫19.5K
165.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.62 ₫15.9K
83.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.56 ₫14.5K
114.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$1.37 ₫35.5K
210.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$7.67 ₫198.5K
30.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$0.64 ₫16.7K
140.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$0.86 ₫22.4K
209.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.34 ₫8,770
55.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$6.66 ₫172.5K
313.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.78 ₫20.3K
528.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.56 ₫14.4K
512.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$2.14 ₫55.3K
151.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$0.91 ₫23.5K
59.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$33.2K ₫860.4M
-36.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$30.1K ₫780.5M
-23.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$77.4 ₫2.0M
10.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$6.06 ₫156.9K
287.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$7.36 ₫190.5K
286.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$17.20 ₫445.3K
261.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$8.05 ₫208.5K
256.27%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$3.34 ₫86.5K
52.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$186 ₫4.8M
8.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$12.3K ₫317.6M
-67.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$46.71 ₫1.2M
-4.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$26.78 ₫693.3K
54.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$83.8 ₫2.2M
-13.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$80.0 ₫2.1M
12.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$291 ₫7.5M
236.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$207 ₫5.4M
79.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$481 ₫12.4M
249.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$357 ₫9.2M
206.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$2,221 ₫57.5M
77.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$1,195 ₫30.9M
413.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Quy Nhon City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$307 ₫7.9M
140.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
8.28
38.29%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Quy Nhon City: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Quy Nhon City
$207 44.4% $165
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Quy Nhon City
$189 26.9% $69
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Quy Nhon City
$66 67% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Quy Nhon City
$91 33.8% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Quy Nhon City
$107 4.4% $4.9
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Quy Nhon City
$24 67% $49
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Quy Nhon City
$12 77.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $291 in Quy Nhon City. 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 140% 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $19.00 in Quy Nhon City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $189 – making Quy Nhon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇻🇳 Quy Nhon City
🕒 Local time
07:37 7:37 AM
19:37 7:37 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
519,208
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Quy Nhon City 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Quy Nhon City

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 Quy Nhon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quy Nhon City cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,043 in Quy Nhon City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quy Nhon City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Quy Nhon City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $695 in Quy Nhon City. That's a gap of about 73%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 313% less in Quy Nhon City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Quy Nhon City?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quy Nhon City, where all-in costs run around $695, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Quy Nhon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Quy Nhon City more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Quy Nhon City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Playa del Carmen or Quy Nhon City?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Quy Nhon City. 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.

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