Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
Learn more

Surat Thani Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $775 per month in Surat Thani vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surat Thani $775
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surat Thani $1,414
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Surat Thani vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Surat Thani $2,053
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Surat Thani is about 36% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surat Thani and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Surat Thani 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$10.86 MX$201

-82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$44.21 MX$817

-59.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$11.76 MX$217

-61.65%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$3.68 MX$68.0

-59.24%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$1.34 MX$24.79

-62.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$0.82 MX$15.24

-64.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$3.06 MX$56.6

-16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$4.94 MX$91.2

-25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.47 MX$27.17

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$2.22 MX$40.95

-46.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$1.48 MX$27.32

-20.95%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$2.49 MX$45.99

-24.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$7.52 MX$139

155.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$7.96 MX$147

-58.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$12.57 MX$232

-40.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$2.78 MX$51.3

4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.43 MX$26.37

17.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$2.62 MX$48.37

-32.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.14 MX$39.49

-4.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$2.02 MX$37.38

-35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$1.99 MX$36.74

-31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.14 MX$21.01

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$1.20 MX$22.18

-65.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$4.26 MX$78.7

-27.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$10.02 MX$185

88.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$1.54 MX$28.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$2.66 MX$49.17

-31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$0.53 MX$9.73

92.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$27.51 MX$508

-23.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$4.90 MX$90.6

-75.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$3.43 MX$63.5

-81.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$5.38 MX$99.4

-35.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.45 MX$26.76

-20.00%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

25.88%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

18.51%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$85.4 MX$1,577

-14.57%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$23.46 MX$434

-52.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$28.43 MX$525

-39.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$62.2 MX$1,149

-22.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$28.68 MX$530

-59.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$5.10 MX$94.3

-11.18%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$201 MX$3,715

172.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

193.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$44.39 MX$820

39.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$41.35 MX$764

-29.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$72.7 MX$1,344

33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$89.6 MX$1,656

-3.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$979 MX$18.1K

-75.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$373 MX$6,887

-59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-31.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-35.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-43.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-77.13%

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 Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 5.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 150% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 35.4% $36

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 186% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 26.4% $15

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 76.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Surat Thani 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $258 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

12 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

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 20, 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 20, 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

Surat Thani Playa del Carmen 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,163 per month in Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani, 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 $775 in Surat Thani and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 55%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Surat Thani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surat Thani – 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 Surat Thani. 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.