Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $895 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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 Yala
Learn more

Yala Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Yala

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $895 in Yala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Yala $895

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,487 in Yala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Yala $1,487

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,079 in Yala, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Yala $2,079

Playa del Carmen costs about 35% more than Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Yala are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Yala 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$1.51 ฿50.3

619.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$24.70 ฿825

78.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$6.73 ฿225

74.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$1.92 ฿64.0

91.67%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$0.56 ฿18.76

139.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.16 ฿5.42

412.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$1.90 ฿63.4

61.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$3.30 ฿110

49.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.54 ฿51.3

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$1.22 ฿40.90

81.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.33 ฿44.51

11.28%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$1.79 ฿59.7

39.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$18.29 ฿611

-58.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$2.96 ฿98.8

168.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$9.26 ฿309

35.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.02 ฿101

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.14 ฿37.97

25.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.09 ฿69.7

25.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.95 ฿65.3

9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.57 ฿52.3

28.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$0.97 ฿32.44

105.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.17 ฿39.17

-2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.53 ฿17.62

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$4.87 ฿163

-12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.33 ฿546

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$1.64 ฿54.8

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.58 ฿86.2

3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.61 ฿20.44

-13.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$1.12 ฿37.42

337.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.31 ฿43.70

161.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$6.43 ฿215

-16.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.42 ฿47.43

2.11%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$26.5K ฿887.0K

-20.29%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$26.5K ฿887.1K

-13.28%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$85.4 ฿2,853

-0.01%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.99 ฿401

95.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$19.46 ฿650

46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$44.07 ฿1,473

41.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$13.69 ฿458

109.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$6.63 ฿222

-23.08%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$589 ฿19.7K

-65.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$11.3K ฿376.2K

-64.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$45.88 ฿1,533

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$32.27 ฿1,079

28.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$77.6 ฿2,592

-6.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$80.9 ฿2,704

10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$475 ฿15.9K

106.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$289 ฿9,662

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$759 ฿25.4K

44.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$1,762 ฿58.9K

124.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$1,405 ฿46.9K

336.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Yala

$289 32.3% 22.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Yala

$241 26.9% 6.7% $17

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Yala

$74 8.3% 62.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Yala

$117 13.1% 14.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Yala

$106 11.9% 4.6% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Yala

$57 6.4% 20.8% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Yala

$10 * 1.1% 80.5% $42

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 $475 in Yala. 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 $25.00 in Yala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $241 – making Yala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

01:01 1:01 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

60,617

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Yala 16,860 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 35%, 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 $1,343 in Yala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yala, 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 $895 in Yala. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $589 in Yala. 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 Yala, where all-in costs run around $895, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Yala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yala – 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 Yala. 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.