Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Svay Rieng

For one person, living is cheaper in Svay Rieng: $601 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Svay Rieng, Cambodia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Svay Rieng
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$601
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Svay Rieng

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $601 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Svay Rieng $601

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $978 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Svay Rieng $978

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,355 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Svay Rieng $1,355

Playa del Carmen costs about 100% more than Svay Rieng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Svay Rieng are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Svay Rieng 56% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$2.05 ៛8,362
420.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$39.95 ៛163.0K
9.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$6.98 ៛28.5K
68.91%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$0.78 ៛3,169
385.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$0.48 ៛1,958
170.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.24 ៛973
245.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$1.02 ៛4,167
208.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$3.04 ៛12.4K
62.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.28 ៛9,290
-38.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$1.62 ៛6,601
35.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$1.08 ៛4,417
36.11%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$1.75 ៛7,136
42.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$14.76 ៛60.2K
-50.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$4.44 ៛18.1K
79.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$9.43 ៛38.5K
36.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$4.32 ៛17.6K
-32.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$1.65 ៛6,733
-16.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$4.62 ៛18.8K
-46.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$1.99 ៛8,117
2.01%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$1.73 ៛7,075
16.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$1.27 ៛5,162
49.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$1.38 ៛5,636
-17.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$0.75 ៛3,065
65.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$1.94 ៛7,917
120.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$10.80 ៛44.1K
-9.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$1.01 ៛4,134
57.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$1.79 ៛7,298
53.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$1.14 ៛4,644
317.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$1.02 ៛4,148
218.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$4.99 ៛20.3K
8.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.18 ៛4,807
29.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$35.7K ៛145.5M
-40.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$44.1K ៛179.8M
-47.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$119 ៛487.4K
-30.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$7.37 ៛30.0K
214.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$24.91 ៛101.6K
10.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$25.05 ៛102.2K
125.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$4.91 ៛20.0K
1.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$598 ៛2.4M
-65.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$11.0K ៛44.9M
-52.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$28.15 ៛114.8K
54.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$24.03 ៛98.0K
77.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$89.4 ៛364.7K
-18.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$59.0 ៛240.7K
49.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Svay Rieng
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
7.94
44.21%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Svay Rieng: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Svay Rieng
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Svay Rieng
$257 0% $0.1
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Svay Rieng
$61 69.7% $140
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Svay Rieng
$152 13% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Svay Rieng
$90 18.8% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Svay Rieng
$35 47.5% $32
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Svay Rieng
$6.2 * 87.7% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $40 in Svay Rieng. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $257 in Svay Rieng – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇭 Svay Rieng
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
22:08 10:08 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
23,956
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4,079 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Svay Rieng 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Svay Rieng

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 Svay Rieng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Svay Rieng cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $902 in Svay Rieng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Svay Rieng?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $40 in Svay Rieng. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $598 in Svay Rieng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Svay Rieng?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Svay Rieng, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Svay Rieng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Svay Rieng?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $601 in Svay Rieng to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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