Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Thung Song

For one person, living is cheaper in Thung Song: $932 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Thung Song
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Thung Song Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Thung Song

🇹🇭 Thailand

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $932 in Thung Song, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Thung Song $932

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,461 in Thung Song, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Thung Song $1,461

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,991 in Thung Song, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Thung Song $1,991

Playa del Carmen costs about 29% more than Thung Song, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Thung Song are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Thung Song 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$4.59 ฿154

136.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$17.72 ฿592

149.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$8.66 ฿289

35.80%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.28 ฿76.3

61.40%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.71 ฿23.66

88.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.29 ฿9.61

182.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.48 ฿82.9

23.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.75 ฿125

31.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.71 ฿57.2

-14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.39 ฿46.46

59.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.57 ฿52.6

-5.73%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.19 ฿73.4

13.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$19.23 ฿643

-60.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.47 ฿116

129.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.15 ฿373

12.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.93 ฿98.1

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.69 ฿56.5

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$0.68 ฿22.74

285.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.09 ฿69.7

2.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.53 ฿51.2

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.33 ฿44.31

49.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.08 ฿35.94

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.52 ฿17.29

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.39 ฿147

-2.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$18.89 ฿631

-46.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.82 ฿60.8

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.26 ฿75.6

17.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.94 ฿31.56

-43.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$2.29 ฿76.6

113.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.06 ฿35.40

223.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$3.77 ฿126

42.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.07 ฿35.83

35.51%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$27.1K ฿905.7K

-21.93%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.5K ฿884.7K

-13.05%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$29.65 ฿991

187.89%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$5.84 ฿195

301.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$13.92 ฿465

104.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$42.26 ฿1,412

47.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.81 ฿462

107.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$7.57 ฿253

-32.63%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$550 ฿18.4K

-63.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.5K ฿384.2K

-65.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$26.68 ฿892

66.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$18.16 ฿607

127.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$96.5 ฿3,224

-24.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$87.8 ฿2,934

2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$369 ฿12.3K

165.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$335 ฿11.2K

11.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,049 ฿35.1K

60.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$654 ฿21.9K

67.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,039 ฿68.1K

93.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,290 ฿43.1K

375.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

129.00%

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 Thung Song: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Thung Song

$335 36% 10.1% $38

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Thung Song

$262 28.1% 1.3% $3.3

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Thung Song

$114 12.2% 43.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Thung Song

$49 5.3% 64% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Thung Song

$103 11.1% 7.7% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Thung Song

$57 6.2% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Thung Song

$11 * 1.2% 78% $40

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 $369 in Thung Song. 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 $18.00 in Thung Song. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $262 in Thung Song – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Thung Song

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

29,232

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Thung Song 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Thung Song

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 Thung Song: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 29%, 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 $1,398 in Thung Song. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thung Song, 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 $932 in Thung Song. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $550 in Thung Song. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Thung Song, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Thung Song it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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