Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Rayong

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
Learn more

Rayong Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $940 in Rayong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Rayong $940

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,191 in Rayong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Rayong $1,191

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,443 in Rayong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Rayong $1,443

Playa del Carmen costs about 29% more than Rayong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Rayong are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Rayong 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.89 ฿96.7

272.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$17.80 ฿595

141.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$6.42 ฿214

83.64%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.62 ฿54.1

138.89%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.51 ฿17.16

168.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.28 ฿9.43

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.73 ฿57.9

79.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.05 ฿102

66.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.87 ฿62.7

-22.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.30 ฿43.53

71.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.42 ฿47.48

3.52%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.61 ฿87.2

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$17.02 ฿569

-57.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.91 ฿97.2

170.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$13.02 ฿435

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.29 ฿110

-11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.75 ฿58.5

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.24 ฿74.9

13.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.90 ฿63.4

8.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.68 ฿56.2

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.50 ฿50.2

34.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.28 ฿42.68

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.52 ฿17.42

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$4.52 ฿151

-2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$15.09 ฿504

-36.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.82 ฿60.9

-12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.21 ฿107

-12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$1.06 ฿35.47

369.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.21 ฿40.35

189.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$6.03 ฿202

-10.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.42 ฿47.32

3.52%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$31.2K ฿1.0M

-32.83%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$27.2K ฿910.6K

-12.26%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$44.28 ฿1,480

90.18%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$14.92 ฿499

60.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$11.83 ฿395

145.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$66.8 ฿2,231

-5.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$17.63 ฿589

65.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$6.59 ฿220

-25.04%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$574 ฿19.2K

-64.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$16.3K ฿546.3K

-75.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$69.7 ฿2,330

-37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$43.37 ฿1,449

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$98.2 ฿3,283

-22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$108 ฿3,625

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$419 ฿14.0K

140.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$295 ฿9,859

26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,027 ฿67.8K

204.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$469 ฿15.7K

60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.25

118.10%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Rayong

$295 31.4% 21.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Rayong

$263 28% 1.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 60.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 48.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Rayong

$144 15.3% 27.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Rayong

$80 8.5% 9.7% $7.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 86.5% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $419 in Rayong. 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 61% 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $18.00 in Rayong. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $263 in Rayong – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

63,565

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Rayong

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 Rayong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,410 in Rayong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $940 in Rayong. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $574 in Rayong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rayong, where all-in costs run around $940, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Rayong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rayong – 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 Rayong. 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.