Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Roi Et

For one person, living is cheaper in Roi Et: $911 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Roi Et, Thailand
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Roi Et
🇹🇭 Thailand
$911
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Roi Et

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $911 in Roi Et, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Roi Et $911

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,441 in Roi Et, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Roi Et $1,441

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,971 in Roi Et, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Roi Et $1,971

Playa del Carmen costs about 32% more than Roi Et, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Roi Et are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Roi Et 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$1.95 ฿65.9
447.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$17.98 ฿606
143.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$6.66 ฿225
77.03%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$1.90 ฿63.9
99.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$0.73 ฿24.50
78.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$0.28 ฿9.52
196.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
$2.11 ฿71.1
49.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
$3.00 ฿101
64.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$1.61 ฿54.3
-12.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$1.48 ฿50.1
48.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$1.22 ฿41.24
20.49%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$1.96 ฿66.1
27.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$16.47 ฿556
-55.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$2.13 ฿71.8
273.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$11.20 ฿378
14.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$2.97 ฿100
-2.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$1.08 ฿36.41
27.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$1.75 ฿59.1
42.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$1.56 ฿52.6
30.13%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$1.29 ฿43.48
56.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$0.97 ฿32.75
95.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$1.06 ฿35.79
7.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$0.48 ฿16.17
158.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$4.50 ฿152
-5.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
$15.03 ฿507
-34.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
$1.59 ฿53.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
$2.79 ฿94.0
-1.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
$0.93 ฿31.33
-45.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$1.09 ฿36.85
336.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$1.17 ฿39.51
177.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$4.92 ฿166
9.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$1.21 ฿40.84
26.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$29.7K ฿1.0M
-28.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$26.4K ฿890.7K
-11.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$81.8 ฿2,758
2.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$11.18 ฿377
107.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$18.85 ฿636
46.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
$49.87 ฿1,682
13.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
$14.68 ฿495
92.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$7.22 ฿243
-30.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$533 ฿18.0K
-61.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
$14.6K ฿492.8K
-64.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$49.77 ฿1,679
-12.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$25.93 ฿875
64.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$59.6 ฿2,011
22.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$74.9 ฿2,525
18.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$448 ฿15.1K
122.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
$318 ฿10.7K
20.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
$1,246 ฿42.0K
34.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$705 ฿23.8K
53.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
$2,048 ฿69.1K
90.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
$1,797 ฿60.6K
241.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Roi Et
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
$892 ฿30.1K
-6.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.57
105.57%

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 Roi Et: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Roi Et
$318 16.9% $65
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Roi Et
$233 9.5% $25
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Roi Et
$79 60.6% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Roi Et
$112 16.7% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Roi Et
$95 15% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Roi Et
$64 3.2% $2.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Roi Et
$11 * 78.9% $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 $448 in Roi Et. 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 7% higher in Roi Et, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $18 in Roi Et. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $233 – making Roi Et the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇹🇭 Roi Et
🕒 Local time
01:35 1:35 AM
13:35 1:35 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
34,229
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Roi Et 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Roi Et

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 Roi Et: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roi Et cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, 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 $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,366 in Roi Et. 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 Roi Et, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $448 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Roi Et?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $911 in Roi Et. That makes Roi Et about 24% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $533 in Roi Et. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Playa del Carmen or in Roi Et?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $911 in Roi Et. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Roi Et?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $911 in Roi Et to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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