Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Samut Prakan

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $886 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Samut Prakan $886

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,378 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Samut Prakan $1,378

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,869 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Samut Prakan $1,869

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Samut Prakan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Samut Prakan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.30 ฿110

229.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$15.12 ฿505

192.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.48 ฿250

57.22%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.38 ฿46.13

166.67%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.52 ฿17.54

157.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.26 ฿8.77

215.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.02 ฿67.6

51.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$2.92 ฿97.4

69.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.46 ฿48.92

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$0.98 ฿32.62

126.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$0.88 ฿29.34

68.18%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.84 ฿61.5

35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.31 ฿411

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.49 ฿83.1

219.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.20 ฿341

23.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$1.84 ฿61.5

51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$0.77 ฿25.67

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.31 ฿43.68

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.21 ฿40.59

76.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.52 ฿50.7

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.77 ฿25.78

158.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.78 ฿25.99

46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.45 ฿15.01

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.50 ฿151

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.10 ฿304

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.03 ฿34.32

49.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.89 ฿63.2

40.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.51 ฿16.95

3.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.74 ฿58.1

181.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.61 ฿53.7

113.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.85 ฿196

-8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.07 ฿35.84

35.51%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$12.1K ฿405.1K

74.53%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$24.3K ฿811.4K

-5.19%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$83.1 ฿2,776

2.76%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$9.40 ฿314

149.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$16.35 ฿547

73.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$47.72 ฿1,595

30.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$15.06 ฿503

90.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.41 ฿214

-20.44%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$148 ฿4,933

36.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,950 ฿198.9K

-33.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$15.09 ฿504

194.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$35.66 ฿1,192

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$70.9 ฿2,369

2.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$120 ฿4,004

-25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$478 ฿16.0K

104.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$330 ฿11.0K

13.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,147 ฿38.3K

46.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$691 ฿23.1K

58.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,726 ฿57.7K

128.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,607 ฿53.7K

281.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$671 ฿22.4K

9.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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 Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2% 11.5% $43

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5% 29.6% $76

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5% 57.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 20.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 2.7% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8% 16.4% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 77.2% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $478 in Samut Prakan. 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 10% 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $182 – making Samut Prakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

19:43 7:43 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

50,843

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Samut Prakan 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,329 in Samut Prakan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samut Prakan, 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 $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $886 in Samut Prakan. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $148 in Samut Prakan. 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 Samut Prakan, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Samut Prakan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samut Prakan – 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 Samut Prakan. 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.