Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Saraburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Saraburi: $782 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Saraburi
Learn more

Saraburi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Saraburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $782 in Saraburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Saraburi $782

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,419 in Saraburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Saraburi $1,419

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,056 in Saraburi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Saraburi $2,056

Playa del Carmen costs about 54% more than Saraburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Saraburi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Saraburi 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$6.17 ฿206

76.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$26.93 ฿900

64.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.43 ฿215

82.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.28 ฿76.2

61.40%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.66 ฿22.15

103.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.24 ฿7.99

241.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.99 ฿66.6

53.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.17 ฿106

55.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.51 ฿50.3

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.12 ฿37.35

98.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.33 ฿44.47

11.28%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.96 ฿65.5

27.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$16.86 ฿563

-55.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.57 ฿86.0

209.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.89 ฿331

27.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$5.15 ฿172

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.70 ฿56.7

-15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.08 ฿69.4

25.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.90 ฿63.5

12.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.50 ฿50.1

34.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.07 ฿35.81

85.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.12 ฿37.51

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.49 ฿16.38

144.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.43 ฿148

-3.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$21.05 ฿703

-52.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.66 ฿55.4

-7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.80 ฿93.5

-5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.90 ฿30.05

-41.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.05 ฿34.98

366.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.16 ฿38.75

195.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.03 ฿202

-10.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.39 ฿46.57

4.32%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.9K ฿765.9K

-7.68%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$28.8K ฿962.3K

-20.06%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$81.9 ฿2,737

4.21%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.58 ฿387

102.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$16.63 ฿556

70.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$42.66 ฿1,426

45.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$14.23 ฿476

101.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.73 ฿225

-24.22%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$581 ฿19.4K

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$6,594 ฿220.4K

-40.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$51.2 ฿1,712

-13.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$29.84 ฿997

38.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$77.0 ฿2,572

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$77.5 ฿2,589

15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$428 ฿14.3K

128.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$124 ฿4,154

199.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

43.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$602 ฿20.1K

82.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,682 ฿56.2K

134.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,662 ฿55.6K

269.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$453 ฿15.1K

62.73%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saraburi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Saraburi

$124 15.9% 66.7% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Saraburi

$259 33.2% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Saraburi

$116 14.8% 42.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Saraburi

$110 14.1% 19.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Saraburi

$106 13.6% 5.1% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Saraburi

$56 7.2% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Saraburi

$10 * 1.3% 79.8% $41

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 $428 in Saraburi. 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 63% 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 $27.00 in Saraburi. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $259 in Saraburi – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Saraburi

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

00:13 12:13 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

61,900

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Saraburi 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Saraburi

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 Saraburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 54%, 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 $1,173 in Saraburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saraburi, 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 $782 in Saraburi. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $581 in Saraburi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saraburi, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Saraburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saraburi – 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 Saraburi. 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.