Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ubon Ratchathani

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani: $772 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ubon Ratchathani
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Ubon Ratchathani Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ubon Ratchathani

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $772 in Ubon Ratchathani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ubon Ratchathani $772

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,413 in Ubon Ratchathani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Ubon Ratchathani $1,413

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,053 in Ubon Ratchathani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Ubon Ratchathani $2,053

Playa del Carmen costs about 56% more than Ubon Ratchathani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Ubon Ratchathani are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Ubon Ratchathani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$4.79 ฿162

127.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$21.00 ฿709

106.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$7.56 ฿255

55.82%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.88 ฿63.5

102.66%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.35 ฿45.73

-5.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.53 ฿18.05

47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.43 ฿82.1

30.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.54 ฿120

39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.72 ฿57.9

-18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.45 ฿49.03

53.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$1.38 ฿46.72

2.90%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.01 ฿67.7

25.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$16.66 ฿563

-56.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.68 ฿90.5

187.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$10.11 ฿341

25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.00 ฿101

-7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.02 ฿34.44

34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.22 ฿75.0

14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.97 ฿66.7

7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.47 ฿49.60

31.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.06 ฿35.84

78.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$1.08 ฿36.45

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.49 ฿16.68

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$4.39 ฿148

-2.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$13.14 ฿444

-24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.73 ฿58.5

-8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.84 ฿95.9

-5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.88 ฿29.71

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.17 ฿39.64

324.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.12 ฿37.76

197.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$6.08 ฿205

-11.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.21 ฿40.83

19.01%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$26.5K ฿895.1K

-22.04%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$32.4K ฿1.1M

-27.47%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$82.2 ฿2,776

3.14%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$12.19 ฿412

92.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$14.74 ฿498

94.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$47.71 ฿1,611

19.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$13.28 ฿448

117.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$6.54 ฿221

-21.41%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$560 ฿18.9K

-63.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$10.7K ฿360.5K

-63.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$49.79 ฿1,681

-12.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$29.40 ฿993

40.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$74.7 ฿2,524

-0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$76.9 ฿2,597

16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$242 ฿8,159

305.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$142 ฿4,785

168.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,148 ฿38.8K

48.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$688 ฿23.2K

56.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,918 ฿64.8K

105.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$1,429 ฿48.3K

330.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$356 ฿12.0K

106.10%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Ubon Ratchathani: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Ubon Ratchathani

$142 18.4% 62.8% $239

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Ubon Ratchathani

$236 30.6% 7.3% $19

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Ubon Ratchathani

$110 14.3% 45.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ubon Ratchathani

$109 14.1% 20.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ubon Ratchathani

$104 13.5% 7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Ubon Ratchathani

$61 7.9% 9.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Ubon Ratchathani

$10 * 1.3% 79.6% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $242 in Ubon Ratchathani. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $21 in Ubon Ratchathani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $236 – making Ubon Ratchathani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Ubon Ratchathani

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

74,977

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ubon Ratchathani 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ubon Ratchathani

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 Ubon Ratchathani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 56%, 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 $1,158 in Ubon Ratchathani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $772 in Ubon Ratchathani. That makes Ubon Ratchathani about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $560 in Ubon Ratchathani. 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 Ubon Ratchathani, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ubon Ratchathani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $772 in Ubon Ratchathani to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ubon Ratchathani. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.