Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sihanoukville Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sihanoukville

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $924 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,137 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,382 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,017 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,839 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sihanoukville are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 6% lower, Sihanoukville 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.99 MX$209

$4.04 ៛16.3K

196.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.78 MX$728

$28.03 ៛113.0K

49.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$187

$7.13 ៛28.7K

50.77%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$60.9

$2.51 ៛10.1K

39.44%

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

$1.45 MX$25.22

$0.84 ៛3,389

72.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$15.41

$0.40 ៛1,614

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 MX$51.3

$1.01 ៛4,079

192.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MX$78.6

$1.98 ៛7,988

127.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.94

$2.08 ៛8,388

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 MX$31.99

$1.53 ៛6,163

20.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$27.31

$0.93 ៛3,733

68.82%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.74

$1.77 ៛7,150

41.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$144

$12.87 ៛51.9K

-35.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$147

$4.05 ៛16.3K

108.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 MX$186

$8.80 ៛35.5K

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.43

$3.44 ៛13.9K

-24.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$25.04

$1.44 ៛5,801

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$34.16

$3.81 ៛15.4K

-48.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.47

$1.46 ៛5,886

43.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$32.24

$1.30 ៛5,223

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 MX$37.74

$1.20 ៛4,830

80.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$17.96

$1.46 ៛5,867

-29.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.70

$0.71 ៛2,872

50.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MX$71.4

$1.52 ៛6,138

169.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 MX$177

$10.80 ៛43.5K

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.17

$0.93 ៛3,729

80.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 MX$43.98

$1.69 ៛6,819

49.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$8.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.04 MX$453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.3

$1.07 ៛4,315

201.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 MX$41.88

$0.99 ៛3,976

143.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.2

$4.63 ៛18.7K

-30.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$23.00

$1.17 ៛4,723

12.82%

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

$29.7K MX$517.1K

$49.1K ៛198.0M

-39.54%

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

$23.7K MX$412.0K

$37.6K ៛151.4M

-37.02%

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

$82.0 MX$1,428

$107 ៛432.3K

-23.53%

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

$22.95 MX$400

$6.36 ៛25.6K

260.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 MX$524

$18.93 ៛76.3K

59.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 MX$905

$72.9 ៛293.9K

-28.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 MX$323

$10.11 ៛40.7K

83.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$86.6

$4.55 ៛18.3K

9.45%

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

$197 MX$3,438

$332 ៛1.3M

-40.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,336 MX$92.9K

$5,131 ៛20.7M

4.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.60 MX$620

$21.85 ៛88.1K

62.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.33 MX$702

$19.83 ៛79.9K

103.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MX$1,371

$91.7 ៛369.6K

-14.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 MX$1,549

$20.14 ៛81.2K

341.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 MX$16.5K

$394 ៛1.6M

140.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MX$8,254

$301 ៛1.2M

57.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 MX$28.6K

$657 ៛2.6M

150.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 MX$21.1K

$493 ៛2.0M

145.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,056 MX$70.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,470 MX$112.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

10.3

10.87%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: July 13, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 in Playa del Carmen versus $394 in Sihanoukville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $28.00 in Sihanoukville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $231 – making Sihanoukville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 36%, and the gap shows up most in Eating Out. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,386 in Sihanoukville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sihanoukville, 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 $1,256 in Playa del Carmen and $924 in Sihanoukville. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

Kindergarten costs $197 per month in Playa del Carmen and $332 in Sihanoukville. 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 Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $924, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,256. In Sihanoukville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sihanoukville – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sihanoukville. 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.