Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Songkhla and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $837 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index
58

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

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Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$837

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $837 per month in Songkhla vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songkhla $837
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,340 per month in Songkhla vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songkhla $1,340
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,844 per month in Songkhla vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songkhla $1,844
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Songkhla is about 31% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Songkhla and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Songkhla 39% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ฿59.4

$10.92 MX$203

-83.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.63 ฿830

$43.37 MX$808

-43.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ฿158

$11.78 MX$219

-60.19%

Cappuccino

$1.63 ฿54.8

$3.81 MX$71.0

-57.22%

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

$0.67 ฿22.61

$1.28 MX$23.89

-47.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ฿8.47

$0.78 MX$14.58

-67.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 ฿58.9

$3.17 MX$59.0

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 ฿160

$4.93 MX$91.9

-3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.7

$1.41 MX$26.20

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ฿28.79

$2.22 MX$41.30

-61.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 ฿55.3

$1.42 MX$26.40

15.49%

Eggs

$1.38 ฿46.58

$2.52 MX$47.00

-45.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 ฿567

$7.26 MX$135

131.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.69 ฿90.6

$7.70 MX$143

-65.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ฿352

$12.69 MX$236

-17.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ฿96.3

$2.78 MX$51.9

2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.3

$1.37 MX$25.49

21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.3

$2.55 MX$47.52

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.32

$2.12 MX$39.55

-40.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿49.66

$1.94 MX$36.11

-24.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.89 MX$35.13

-10.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.39

$1.15 MX$21.36

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ฿30.51

$1.18 MX$21.96

-22.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿143

$4.30 MX$80.0

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 ฿453

$9.95 MX$185

35.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ฿52.2

$1.58 MX$29.50

-1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ฿155

$2.67 MX$49.76

71.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.88

$0.55 MX$10.31

56.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 ฿2,045

$26.62 MX$496

127.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.77

$4.97 MX$92.6

-75.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ฿25.51

$3.33 MX$62.1

-77.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 ฿197

$5.36 MX$99.8

8.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ฿40.92

$1.44 MX$26.90

-15.97%

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

$26.3K ฿887.7K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

27.46%

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

$31.3K ฿1.1M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

33.45%

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

$85.3 ฿2,873

$84.8 MX$1,580

0.55%

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

$12.64 ฿426

$23.41 MX$436

-46.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.03 ฿608

$28.66 MX$534

-37.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.35 ฿1,629

$57.1 MX$1,063

-15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.08 ฿441

$28.91 MX$539

-54.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.91 ฿199

$5.14 MX$95.7

14.98%

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

$571 ฿19.2K

$207 MX$3,848

176.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿372.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

181.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 ฿1,741

$43.35 MX$808

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.14 ฿982

$41.44 MX$772

-29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 ฿2,586

$74.2 MX$1,382

3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ฿2,602

$89.3 MX$1,663

-13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 ฿8,043

$980 MX$18.2K

-75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ฿6,009

$381 MX$7,095

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 ฿19.9K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 ฿13.9K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-61.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 ฿65.1K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-50.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,456 ฿49.1K

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-76.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 ฿27.0K

$735 MX$13.7K

9.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.33

11.45

-18.52%

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

Last update for Songkhla: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Songkhla

$238 28.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7% $17

Accommodation & Living

Songkhla

$178 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 114% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Songkhla

$116 13.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 18% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Songkhla

$106 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 5.7% $6.1

Eating Out

Songkhla

$70 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 191% $133

Getting Around

Songkhla

$69 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Songkhla

$60 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 11.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Songkhla versus $980 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.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Songkhla, 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 $25 in Songkhla versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $255 – making Songkhla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

12 h behind Songkhla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,758

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Songkhla Playa del Carmen 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Songkhla
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,255 per month in Songkhla 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 Songkhla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $239 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $837 in Songkhla and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Songkhla about 31% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Songkhla, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Songkhla 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 $837 in Songkhla to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.