Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rangsit

For one person, living is cheaper in Rangsit: $857 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Rangsit, Thailand
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Rangsit
🇹🇭 Thailand
$857
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $857 in Rangsit, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Rangsit $857

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,382 in Rangsit, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Rangsit $1,382

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,907 in Rangsit, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Rangsit $1,907

Playa del Carmen costs about 40% more than Rangsit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rangsit are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Rangsit 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$204
$3.30 ฿112
230.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$808
$22.38 ฿756
93.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$220
$4.57 ฿154
157.77%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.0
$1.89 ฿63.7
101.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.90
$0.58 ฿19.54
120.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.59
$0.29 ฿9.76
168.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.0
$2.04 ฿69.0
55.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.0
$2.94 ฿99.2
67.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$1.48 ฿50.1
-4.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.33
$1.21 ฿40.82
83.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.42
$1.22 ฿41.09
16.39%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.03
$1.88 ฿63.4
34.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$135
$12.32 ฿416
-41.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$143
$2.52 ฿85.1
205.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$237
$9.97 ฿337
27.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.9
$3.59 ฿121
-22.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.50
$0.96 ฿32.45
42.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.55
$2.46 ฿83.1
3.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.58
$1.63 ฿55.2
30.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.13
$1.97 ฿66.5
-1.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.16
$1.08 ฿36.53
75.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.37
$0.78 ฿26.24
47.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.98
$0.41 ฿14.00
187.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.1
$4.51 ฿152
-4.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$185
$14.03 ฿474
-29.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.52
$1.62 ฿54.7
-2.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$49.79
$1.83 ฿61.7
45.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.31
$0.86 ฿29.15
-36.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$496
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$92.6
$1.01 ฿34.17
392.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.1
$1.60 ฿54.2
108.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$99.8
$6.00 ฿203
-10.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.92
$1.44 ฿48.77
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$385.2K
$16.3K ฿549.4K
27.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.4K
$27.3K ฿922.6K
-14.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,581
$84.2 ฿2,842
0.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$436
$9.28 ฿313
152.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$534
$23.02 ฿777
24.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,063
$46.46 ฿1,569
22.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$539
$13.57 ฿458
113.04%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$95.8
$6.68 ฿226
-23.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,851
$710 ฿24.0K
-70.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.2K
$10.8K ฿366.4K
-63.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$808
$6.06 ฿205
615.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$772
$35.92 ฿1,213
15.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,383
$70.4 ฿2,376
5.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,664
$53.3 ฿1,801
67.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.3K
$435 ฿14.7K
125.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,099
$295 ฿9,967
29.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.8K
$1,154 ฿39.0K
47.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.0K
$690 ฿23.3K
55.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.5K
$1,915 ฿64.7K
105.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$114.8K
$1,461 ฿49.3K
321.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Rangsit
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
6.3
81.75%

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 Rangsit: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Rangsit
$295 22.5% $86
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Rangsit
$216 15% $38
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Rangsit
$82 59.3% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Rangsit
$116 14.9% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Rangsit
$75 33.3% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Rangsit
$60 11.1% $7.5
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Rangsit
$12 * 75.2% $38

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 $435 in Rangsit. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $22 in Rangsit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $216 – making Rangsit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇭 Rangsit
🕒 Local time
15:34 3:34 PM
03:34 3:34 AM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
85,260
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Rangsit 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Rangsit

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 Rangsit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rangsit cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 40%, 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 $1,286 in Rangsit. 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 Rangsit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $435 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Rangsit?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $857 in Rangsit. That makes Rangsit about 29% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $710 in Rangsit. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Rangsit?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rangsit, where all-in costs run around $857, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Rangsit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Rangsit?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $857 in Rangsit to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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