Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $818 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Siem Reap

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $818 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Siem Reap $818

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,338 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Siem Reap $1,338

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,858 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Siem Reap $1,858

Playa del Carmen costs about 47% more than Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Siem Reap are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Siem Reap 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$2.51 ៛10.2K

335.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$23.83 ៛97.1K

82.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$8.06 ៛32.8K

46.15%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$1.67 ៛6,786

128.14%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$0.71 ៛2,888

80.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.40 ៛1,625

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.03 ៛4,188

207.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$1.98 ៛8,075

148.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.18 ៛8,872

-35.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$1.74 ៛7,075

27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$0.94 ៛3,822

51.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$1.75 ៛7,117

44.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$15.24 ៛62.1K

-52.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$2.95 ៛12.0K

161.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$10.07 ៛41.0K

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$4.23 ៛17.2K

-34.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.28 ៛5,225

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.83 ៛15.6K

-33.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.05 ៛4,282

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.32 ៛5,375

46.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.11 ៛4,527

70.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.29 ៛5,262

-10.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.80 ៛3,241

47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$1.42 ៛5,770

202.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$8.11 ៛33.0K

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.00 ៛4,068

58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.32 ៛9,446

15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.03 ៛4,176

-46.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$15.11 ៛61.6K

76.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$2.01 ៛8,207

147.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$1.01 ៛4,132

229.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$5.08 ៛20.7K

5.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.24 ៛5,063

16.13%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$24.7K ៛100.6M

-16.31%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$22.7K ៛92.4M

3.41%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$101 ៛410.6K

-15.87%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$5.53 ៛22.5K

323.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$15.38 ៛62.6K

86.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$33.19 ៛135.2K

71.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$13.75 ៛56.0K

110.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$5.14 ៛20.9K

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

$207 MX$3,882

$286 ៛1.2M

-27.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$4,379 ៛17.8M

-10.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$26.54 ៛108.1K

63.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$13.43 ៛54.7K

208.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$67.5 ៛274.7K

10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$44.82 ៛182.6K

99.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$337 ៛1.4M

190.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$244 ៛992.7K

56.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$685 ៛2.8M

149.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$603 ៛2.5M

78.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$2,492 ៛10.2M

58.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$1,074 ៛4.4M

473.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$234 ៛952.5K

214.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.2

24.46%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Siem Reap

$244 29.8% 36% $137

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Siem Reap

$237 28.9% 7.1% $18

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Siem Reap

$78 9.5% 61.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Siem Reap

$122 14.9% 11.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Siem Reap

$69 8.4% 38.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Siem Reap

$43 5.3% 35.4% $24

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Siem Reap

$26 3.2% 47.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $337 in Siem Reap. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $24 in Siem Reap. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $237 – making Siem Reap the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

171,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Siem Reap 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Siem Reap

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 47%, 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 $1,227 in Siem Reap. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Siem Reap, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $818 in Siem Reap. That makes Siem Reap about 32% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Siem Reap. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $818 in Siem Reap. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Siem Reap costs $818 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Siem Reap. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.