Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $839 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
Learn more

Song Be Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Song Be

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $839 in Song Be, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Song Be $839

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,363 in Song Be, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Song Be $1,363

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,887 in Song Be, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Song Be $1,887

Playa del Carmen costs about 43% more than Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Song Be are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Song Be 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.92 ₫49.6K

465.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$23.01 ₫595.6K

92.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$4.75 ₫123.1K

147.58%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.85 ₫47.9K

98.92%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.55 ₫14.3K

143.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.34 ₫8,819

141.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.08 ₫28.0K

183.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$1.70 ₫44.1K

190.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.64 ₫42.5K

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.06 ₫27.4K

109.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.06 ₫27.4K

39.62%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.62 ₫41.8K

53.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.93 ₫309.0K

-36.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.66 ₫94.7K

117.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$10.42 ₫269.7K

20.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.98 ₫77.2K

-6.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.26 ₫32.6K

13.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$1.57 ₫40.7K

66.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.25 ₫32.4K

71.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.18 ₫30.6K

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.19 ₫30.9K

67.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.73 ₫18.8K

56.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.52 ₫13.5K

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.25 ₫32.4K

240.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$12.87 ₫333.1K

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$0.89 ₫23.1K

73.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$1.47 ₫38.0K

80.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.35 ₫9,126

51.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$6.85 ₫177.5K

301.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.74 ₫19.3K

562.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.62 ₫16.0K

453.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.00 ₫77.7K

79.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.90 ₫23.4K

61.11%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$31.4K ₫812.5M

-32.58%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$29.7K ₫769.5M

-22.56%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$105 ₫2.7M

-18.87%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$5.87 ₫152.1K

299.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$10.60 ₫274.4K

168.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$25.41 ₫657.8K

144.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$7.53 ₫195.0K

280.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$3.82 ₫98.9K

33.51%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$448 ₫11.6M

-55.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-83.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$52.2 ₫1.4M

-15.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$34.58 ₫895.3K

19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$90.9 ₫2.4M

-19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-5.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$362 ₫9.4M

170.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$280 ₫7.2M

33.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$836 ₫21.6M

101.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$675 ₫17.5M

62.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,961 ₫50.8M

101.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,360 ₫35.2M

351.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.64

32.52%

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 Song Be: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Song Be

$280 33.3% 25% $93

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Song Be

$206 24.6% 20.2% $52

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 67.9% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Song Be

$122 14.5% 11.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Song Be

$123 14.6% 9.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Song Be

$33 3.9% 54.4% $39

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Song Be

$12 1.4% 76.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $362 in Song Be. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Song Be. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $206 – making Song Be the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Song Be 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 43%, 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 $1,259 in Song Be. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Song Be, 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 $839 in Song Be. That's a gap of about 43%.

Public transport costs about 302% less in Song Be. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Song Be, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Song Be it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Song Be – 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 Song Be. 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.