Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Surin
Learn more

Surin Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $869 in Surin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Surin $869

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,444 in Surin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Surin $1,444

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,018 in Surin, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Surin $2,018

Playa del Carmen costs about 39% more than Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Surin are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Surin 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.03 ฿101

258.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$24.70 ฿826

78.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$7.23 ฿242

62.66%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.74 ฿58.3

111.49%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.61 ฿20.30

119.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.33 ฿10.89

148.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.20 ฿73.5

39.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.42 ฿114

44.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.57 ฿52.4

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.31 ฿43.79

69.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.47 ฿48.98

0.68%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.90 ฿63.5

31.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$17.41 ฿582

-56.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.48 ฿83.0

220.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.89 ฿297

41.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.57 ฿86.0

8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.02 ฿34.23

40.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.48 ฿82.9

5.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.05 ฿68.5

4.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.44 ฿48.20

40.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.95 ฿31.77

109.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$0.94 ฿31.37

21.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.44 ฿14.59

172.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.27 ฿143

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.36 ฿547

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.57 ฿52.4

-1.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.01 ฿100

-11.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.92 ฿30.79

-42.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.37 ฿45.65

257.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.01 ฿33.73

239.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.04 ฿202

-10.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.35 ฿45.06

7.41%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$22.7K ฿758.4K

-6.77%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$27.1K ฿904.4K

-14.94%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$77.8 ฿2,601

9.69%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.53 ฿385

103.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.68 ฿624

52.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$41.58 ฿1,390

49.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$11.45 ฿383

150.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.51 ฿218

-21.66%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$628 ฿21.0K

-67.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.1K ฿405.0K

-67.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$53.1 ฿1,773

-16.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$27.95 ฿934

47.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$73.3 ฿2,451

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$68.0 ฿2,274

31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$440 ฿14.7K

122.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$273 ฿9,126

36.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,185 ฿39.6K

41.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$714 ฿23.9K

53.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,730 ฿57.8K

128.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,518 ฿50.7K

304.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Surin

$273 31.4% 26.7% $100

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Surin

$235 27% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Surin

$88 10.2% 55.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Surin

$108 12.4% 21.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Surin

$100 11.5% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Surin

$55 6.3% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Surin

$10 * 1.2% 80.5% $42

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 $440 in Surin. 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 $25.00 in Surin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $235 – making Surin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Surin

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

13:28 1:28 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

40,104

💱 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Surin 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 39%, 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 $1,303 in Surin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surin, 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 $869 in Surin. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $628 in Surin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surin – 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 Surin. 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.