Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $928 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$928

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $928 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sihanoukville $928
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Sihanoukville vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,395
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Sihanoukville vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,862
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sihanoukville is about 23% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sihanoukville and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Sihanoukville 31% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ៛16.0K

$10.76 MX$199

-63.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.25 ៛122.9K

$43.03 MX$795

-29.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 ៛29.2K

$11.79 MX$218

-39.02%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ៛9,356

$3.87 MX$71.4

-40.57%

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

$0.78 ៛3,175

$1.37 MX$25.29

-43.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ៛1,706

$0.84 MX$15.44

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,136

$3.10 MX$57.3

-67.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ៛8,219

$5.07 MX$93.6

-60.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ៛8,566

$1.44 MX$26.55

46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ៛6,471

$2.23 MX$41.23

-28.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,518

$1.47 MX$27.17

-40.82%

Eggs

$1.71 ៛6,941

$2.53 MX$46.71

-32.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 ៛56.3K

$7.30 MX$135

90.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ៛16.6K

$7.86 MX$145

-47.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ៛35.7K

$12.79 MX$236

-31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ៛14.6K

$2.90 MX$53.6

23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ៛5,598

$1.44 MX$26.53

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 ៛17.3K

$2.55 MX$47.07

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ៛6,549

$2.06 MX$38.03

-21.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 ៛5,472

$2.00 MX$36.97

-32.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ៛4,653

$2.01 MX$37.07

-42.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ៛4,823

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ៛2,950

$1.26 MX$23.23

-42.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.46 ៛5,946

$4.40 MX$81.4

-66.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 ៛45.3K

$9.59 MX$177

16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ៛3,674

$1.59 MX$29.41

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ៛6,722

$2.81 MX$51.9

-41.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,434

$4.98 MX$92.1

-78.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,182

$3.50 MX$64.6

-70.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 ៛21.1K

$5.40 MX$99.8

-3.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ៛5,060

$1.47 MX$27.08

-14.97%

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

$34.3K ៛139.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

63.54%

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

$43.5K ៛176.7M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

81.96%

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

$106 ៛431.6K

$84.2 MX$1,556

26.18%

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

$6.46 ៛26.2K

$23.99 MX$443

-73.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.99 ៛77.1K

$29.02 MX$536

-34.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ៛293.1K

$63.0 MX$1,164

14.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.11 ៛41.1K

$29.14 MX$539

-65.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.7K

$4.94 MX$91.3

3.04%

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

$339 ៛1.4M

$204 MX$3,763

66.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 ៛20.7M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

29.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ៛116.0K

$43.60 MX$806

-34.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.14 ៛81.8K

$43.12 MX$797

-53.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 ៛363.7K

$75.8 MX$1,400

18.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.29 ៛82.4K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-77.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ៛1.7M

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ៛1.2M

$374 MX$6,911

-18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 ៛2.6M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-62.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ៛2.0M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-55.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

11.45

-29.52%

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

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 22.9% $70

Groceries & Markets

Sihanoukville

$237 25.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sihanoukville

$132 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 4.2% $5.5

Eating Out

Sihanoukville

$95 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 114% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Sihanoukville

$82 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 11.5% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 58.4% $42

Getting Around

Sihanoukville

$6.2 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 742% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Sihanoukville versus $1,008 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $258 – making Sihanoukville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

12 h behind Sihanoukville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,036

149,923

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sihanoukville Playa del Carmen 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sihanoukville
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,392 per month in Sihanoukville and $1,816 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 Sihanoukville, 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 $928 in Sihanoukville and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $339 per month in Sihanoukville and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sihanoukville, where all-in costs run around $928, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Sihanoukville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sihanoukville. 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.