Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Udon Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Udon Thani: $811 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Udon Thani
Learn more

Udon Thani Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Udon Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Udon Thani

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $811 in Udon Thani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Udon Thani $811

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,326 in Udon Thani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Udon Thani $1,326

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,840 in Udon Thani, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Udon Thani $1,840

Playa del Carmen costs about 48% more than Udon Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Udon Thani are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Udon Thani 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$2.30 ฿77.6

374.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$28.65 ฿966

51.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$10.55 ฿355

11.66%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.44 ฿48.43

164.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$0.67 ฿22.65

91.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.28 ฿9.33

178.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$1.76 ฿59.5

80.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$2.44 ฿82.1

102.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.56 ฿86.4

-44.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$1.39 ฿46.73

59.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$1.45 ฿48.80

-2.07%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$1.57 ฿52.8

60.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$17.99 ฿606

-59.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.46 ฿82.9

213.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$14.05 ฿473

-9.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.37 ฿79.9

17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$0.91 ฿30.66

50.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.11 ฿71.2

20.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$2.03 ฿68.3

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.51 ฿50.9

28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.05 ฿35.34

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$0.87 ฿29.17

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$0.59 ฿20.05

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$4.32 ฿146

-0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$36.77 ฿1,239

-72.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.75 ฿58.8

-9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.01 ฿67.8

32.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.60 ฿20.37

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$10.16 ฿342

162.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.05 ฿35.48

373.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.47 ฿49.60

126.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.04 ฿305

-40.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.26 ฿42.44

14.29%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$42.4K ฿1.4M

-51.31%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$32.4K ฿1.1M

-27.62%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$62.1 ฿2,092

36.56%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$15.51 ฿523

50.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$21.91 ฿738

30.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$75.1 ฿2,531

-24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$8.01 ฿270

260.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$5.96 ฿201

-13.76%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$199 ฿6,701

3.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$9,869 ฿332.6K

-60.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$44.77 ฿1,509

-3.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$53.2 ฿1,794

-22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$68.5 ฿2,309

8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$76.1 ฿2,564

17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$180 ฿6,058

444.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$110 ฿3,719

245.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$378 ฿12.7K

351.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$308 ฿10.4K

249.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,150 ฿38.8K

242.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$398 ฿13.4K

1448.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$763 ฿25.7K

-3.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.96

43.84%

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 Udon Thani: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Udon Thani

$110 13.6% 71% $270

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Udon Thani

$299 36.9% 17.5% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Udon Thani

$85 10.5% 58.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Udon Thani

$100 12.3% 27.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Udon Thani

$109 13.5% 2.3% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Udon Thani

$87 10.7% 29.3% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Udon Thani

$21 2.6% 58.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $180 in Udon Thani. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Udon Thani, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Udon Thani. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $299 in Udon Thani – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Udon Thani

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

18:06 6:06 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

130,531

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Udon Thani 15,650 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Udon Thani

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 Udon Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 48%, 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 $1,217 in Udon Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Udon Thani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $180 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $811 in Udon Thani. That makes Udon Thani about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Udon Thani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $811 in Udon Thani. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Udon Thani – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.