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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 85.5% more expensive than Thimphu without rent, and 175.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 113.3% more expensive than Thimphu without rent, and 193.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$209
$2.92 BTN 269
305.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$744
$17.17 BTN 1,581
145.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$190
$3.42 BTN 315
214.33%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$61.3
$1.47 BTN 135
136.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.65
$0.52 BTN 47.77
178.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$15.93
$0.17 BTN 15.45
429.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$53.9
$2.96 BTN 272
3.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$77.9
$2.29 BTN 211
93.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.17
$0.86 BTN 79.3
59.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$0.89 BTN 81.9
110.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.25
$0.68 BTN 62.7
126.47%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.18
$1.98 BTN 183
26.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$152
$3.23 BTN 297
166.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$152
$3.81 BTN 351
126.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$195
$4.24 BTN 390
159.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$48.53
$2.53 BTN 233
8.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.21
$1.45 BTN 134
-1.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.05
$1.93 BTN 178
-3.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.26
$0.78 BTN 72.0
178.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.23
$0.49 BTN 44.80
283.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.65
$0.62 BTN 57.0
262.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$18.85
$0.45 BTN 41.77
137.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.95
$0.34 BTN 31.47
214.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$73.3
$3.68 BTN 339
12.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$182
$3.33 BTN 307
210.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$29.64
$0.63 BTN 57.8
166.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$43.84
$1.02 BTN 94.0
143.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.80
$1.79 BTN 164
-69.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$468
$4.01 BTN 370
561.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$56.8
$0.85 BTN 78.6
278.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$43.80
$2.25 BTN 208
10.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$54.9
$0.15 BTN 13.90
1973.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.16
$0.95 BTN 87.3
32.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$424.3K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,456
$23.34 BTN 2,150
253.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$393
$37.08 BTN 3,415
-39.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$530
$26.64 BTN 2,454
12.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$908
$48.13 BTN 4,434
6.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$323
$7.66 BTN 705
138.77%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$88.0
$3.55 BTN 327
40.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,530
$246 BTN 22.7K
-18.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$93.6K
$678 BTN 62.4K
682.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$630
$9.23 BTN 850
286.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$698
$11.44 BTN 1,054
245.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,422
$32.53 BTN 2,997
147.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,559
$32.25 BTN 2,971
173.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.1K
$115 BTN 10.6K
744.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,511
$62.4 BTN 5,747
672.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.2K
$200 BTN 18.4K
698.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$20.9K
$139 BTN 12.8K
748.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$71.5K
$643 BTN 59.2K
530.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$115.1K
$261 BTN 24.1K
2395.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Thimphu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.4K
$517 BTN 47.6K
46.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
10.75
6.23%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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