Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Svay Rieng and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Svay Rieng: $603 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Svay Rieng, Cambodia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Svay Rieng
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$603
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $603 per month in Svay Rieng vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Svay Rieng $603
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $980 per month in Svay Rieng vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Svay Rieng $980
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,358 per month in Svay Rieng vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Svay Rieng $1,358
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Svay Rieng is about 50% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Svay Rieng and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Svay Rieng 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.05 ៛8,347
$10.92 MX$203
-81.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.05 ៛163.2K
$43.37 MX$805
-7.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 ៛28.7K
$11.78 MX$219
-40.24%
Cappuccino
$0.79 ៛3,209
$3.81 MX$70.7
-79.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ៛1,950
$1.28 MX$23.81
-62.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 ៛970
$0.78 MX$14.54
-69.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.97 ៛3,972
$3.17 MX$58.8
-69.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ៛12.4K
$4.93 MX$91.7
-38.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 ៛8,959
$1.41 MX$26.12
56.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 ៛6,502
$2.22 MX$41.17
-27.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.08 ៛4,404
$1.42 MX$26.32
-23.94%
Eggs
$1.80 ៛7,335
$2.52 MX$46.85
-28.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.31 ៛58.3K
$7.26 MX$135
97.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.56 ៛18.6K
$7.70 MX$143
-40.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.43 ៛38.4K
$12.69 MX$236
-25.69%
Apples (1kg)
$4.27 ៛17.4K
$2.78 MX$51.7
53.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 ៛6,973
$1.37 MX$25.41
24.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.56 ៛18.6K
$2.55 MX$47.37
78.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ៛8,049
$2.12 MX$39.43
-6.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 ៛7,058
$1.94 MX$36.00
-10.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ៛5,148
$1.89 MX$35.02
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 ៛5,688
$1.15 MX$21.29
21.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ៛3,139
$1.18 MX$21.89
-34.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.91 ៛7,795
$4.30 MX$79.8
-55.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.81 ៛44.0K
$9.95 MX$185
8.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ៛3,848
$1.58 MX$29.41
-40.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 ៛7,244
$2.67 MX$49.60
-33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.55 MX$10.28
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$494
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ៛4,402
$4.97 MX$92.3
-78.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ៛4,131
$3.33 MX$61.9
-69.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 ៛20.2K
$5.36 MX$99.5
-7.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ៛4,754
$1.44 MX$26.82
-18.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.6K ៛141.1M
$20.7K MX$383.8K
67.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.9K ៛178.8M
$23.5K MX$435.8K
86.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 ៛494.7K
$84.8 MX$1,575
43.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.36 ៛30.0K
$23.41 MX$435
-68.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.05 ៛102.1K
$28.66 MX$532
-12.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.51 ៛99.9K
$57.1 MX$1,059
-57.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$537
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 ៛20.7K
$5.14 MX$95.4
-0.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$597 ៛2.4M
$207 MX$3,836
189.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K ៛45.2M
$3,927 MX$72.9K
182.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.37 ៛115.6K
$43.35 MX$805
-34.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.91 ៛97.4K
$41.44 MX$770
-42.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.3 ៛376.0K
$74.2 MX$1,378
24.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.9 ៛244.2K
$89.3 MX$1,657
-32.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$980 MX$18.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$381 MX$7,072
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,708 MX$31.7K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,943 MX$73.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,158 MX$114.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Svay Rieng
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$735 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.94
11.45
-30.66%

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

Last update for Svay Rieng: October 25, 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
Svay Rieng
$256
Playa del Carmen
$255 0.4% $0.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Svay Rieng
$154
Playa del Carmen
$137 11% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Svay Rieng
$92
Playa del Carmen
$112 21.4% $20
Eating Out
Svay Rieng
$61
Playa del Carmen
$202 233% $142
Sport & Entertainment
Svay Rieng
$35
Playa del Carmen
$67 94.1% $33
Getting Around
Svay Rieng
$6.2 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 720% $44
Accommodation & Living
Svay Rieng
- *
Playa del Carmen
$381

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Svay Rieng versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in Svay Rieng vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Svay Rieng
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
12:47 12:47 PM
00:47 12:47 AM
12 h behind Svay Rieng
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,956
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Svay Rieng Playa del Carmen 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Svay Rieng
  • 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
Svay Rieng vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Svay Rieng cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $905 per month in Svay Rieng and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Svay Rieng or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Svay Rieng and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Svay Rieng and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Svay Rieng or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Svay Rieng, where all-in costs run around $603, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Svay Rieng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Svay Rieng or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $603 in Svay Rieng to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Svay Rieng vs other spots: cost of living compared

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