Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $1,006 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,006 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Ratchaburi $1,006

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,533 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ratchaburi $1,533

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,061 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Ratchaburi $2,061

Playa del Carmen costs about 20% more than Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ratchaburi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Ratchaburi 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.01 ฿102

254.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$27.13 ฿915

61.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$8.75 ฿295

34.74%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.99 ฿67.2

90.45%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.65 ฿22.07

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.25 ฿8.35

232.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$2.43 ฿82.1

29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$2.61 ฿88.1

88.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.63 ฿54.9

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.47 ฿49.54

49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.40 ฿47.13

5.00%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.19 ฿73.8

14.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.19 ฿512

-52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.57 ฿86.8

209.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$10.19 ฿344

26.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.43 ฿116

-15.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.25 ฿42.06

10.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.92 ฿64.7

29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.94 ฿65.6

4.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.19 ฿40.24

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.07 ฿36.24

77.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$1.22 ฿41.32

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.40 ฿13.46

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$4.39 ฿148

-2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$17.51 ฿591

-43.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.65 ฿55.8

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.95 ฿99.7

-6.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.99 ฿33.26

-48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$1.17 ฿39.62

306.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.07 ฿36.25

203.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$3.62 ฿122

48.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$46.1K ฿1.6M

-54.02%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$26.2K ฿885.1K

-11.32%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$91.0 ฿3,071

-8.26%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$11.63 ฿392

99.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$18.72 ฿632

47.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$53.7 ฿1,811

5.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$13.50 ฿455

108.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$7.59 ฿256

-34.12%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$630 ฿21.3K

-67.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$20.7K ฿697.4K

-74.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$50.1 ฿1,690

-13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$29.01 ฿979

46.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$95.5 ฿3,222

-23.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$75.5 ฿2,546

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$497 ฿16.8K

100.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$357 ฿12.0K

7.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,266 ฿42.7K

32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$645 ฿21.7K

67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$2,210 ฿74.6K

76.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$1,851 ฿62.5K

231.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.96

92.11%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Ratchaburi

$357 35.5% 6.7% $26

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Ratchaburi

$241 23.9% 6.4% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Ratchaburi

$95 9.5% 52.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Ratchaburi

$121 12.1% 9.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Ratchaburi

$113 11.2% 1.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Ratchaburi

$69 6.8% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1% 79.2% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $497 in Ratchaburi. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $27 in Ratchaburi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $241 – making Ratchaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

38,208

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ratchaburi 16,140 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,509 in Ratchaburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratchaburi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,006 in Ratchaburi. That makes Ratchaburi about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $630 in Ratchaburi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,006 in Ratchaburi. 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 $1,006 in Ratchaburi to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.