Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ranong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ranong: $976 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ranong and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $976 per month in Ranong vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ranong $976
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,650 per month in Ranong vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ranong $1,650
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,324 per month in Ranong vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ranong $2,324
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Ranong is about 19% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ranong and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ranong 28% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$10.86 MX$201

-59.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.07 ฿1,072

$44.21 MX$817

-27.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿283

$11.76 MX$217

-28.06%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿91.5

$3.68 MX$68.0

-25.54%

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

$0.96 ฿31.98

$1.34 MX$24.79

-28.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$0.82 MX$15.24

-39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.3

$3.06 MX$56.6

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿126

$4.94 MX$91.2

-23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.47 MX$27.17

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.98

$2.22 MX$40.95

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.6

$1.48 MX$27.32

2.70%

Eggs

$2.20 ฿73.4

$2.49 MX$45.99

-11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿657

$7.52 MX$139

161.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$7.96 MX$147

-58.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿371

$12.57 MX$232

-11.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.78 MX$51.3

5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.9

$1.43 MX$26.37

14.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿75.7

$2.62 MX$48.37

-13.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$2.14 MX$39.49

-3.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.02 MX$37.38

-25.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.78

$1.99 MX$36.74

-34.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$1.14 MX$21.01

-7.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.20 MX$22.18

-57.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ฿149

$4.26 MX$78.7

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿616

$10.02 MX$185

83.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.54 MX$28.41

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿92.1

$2.66 MX$49.17

3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ฿26.38

$0.53 MX$9.73

49.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.34

$4.90 MX$90.6

-75.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.76

$3.43 MX$63.5

-68.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ฿127

$5.38 MX$99.4

-29.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$1.45 MX$26.76

2.07%

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

$26.4K ฿883.5K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

24.95%

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

$26.4K ฿881.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

14.62%

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

$99.5 ฿3,324

$85.4 MX$1,577

16.52%

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

$11.07 ฿370

$23.46 MX$434

-52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.26 ฿577

$28.43 MX$525

-39.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 ฿1,449

$62.2 MX$1,149

-30.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 ฿414

$28.68 MX$530

-56.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.10 MX$94.3

50.00%

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

$548 ฿18.3K

$201 MX$3,715

172.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿382.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

189.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 ฿2,147

$44.39 MX$820

44.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.31 ฿946

$41.35 MX$764

-31.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ฿3,203

$72.7 MX$1,344

31.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 ฿2,993

$89.6 MX$1,656

-0.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 ฿15.6K

$979 MX$18.1K

-52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 ฿8,954

$373 MX$6,887

-28.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 ฿36.1K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-35.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 ฿25.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-30.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,902 ฿63.6K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-51.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,616 ฿54.0K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-73.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.45

-51.35%

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

Last update for Ranong: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 39.1% $105

Groceries & Markets

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 3.5% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ranong

$128 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 7.4% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ranong

$125 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 10.8% $13

Eating Out

Ranong

$119 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 68% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Ranong

$59 6%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 23.5% $14

Getting Around

Ranong

$9.7 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 432% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Ranong versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $32.00 in Ranong versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Ranong vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ranong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

09:20 9:20 AM

12 h behind Ranong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,163

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ranong Playa del Carmen 16,560 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ranong
Playa del Carmen

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

Ranong vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,464 per month in Ranong and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ranong, 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 $976 in Ranong and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $548 per month in Ranong and $201 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Ranong, where all-in costs run around $976, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ranong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ranong – 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 Ranong. 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.