Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
Learn more

Thika Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Thika vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thika $518
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $883 per month in Thika vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thika $883
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,248 per month in Thika vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Thika $1,248
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Thika is about 57% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thika and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Thika 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$10.92 MX$204

-67.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,431

$43.37 MX$808

-21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 KES 819

$11.78 MX$220

-46.43%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$3.81 MX$71.0

-48.29%

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

$0.32 KES 41.83

$1.28 MX$23.90

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 87.2

$0.78 MX$14.59

-14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 KES 246

$3.17 MX$59.0

-40.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 KES 273

$4.93 MX$92.0

-57.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$1.41 MX$26.22

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 58.2

$2.22 MX$41.33

-79.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.42 MX$26.42

-19.01%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 177

$2.52 MX$47.03

-45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,426

$7.26 MX$135

51.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 KES 877

$7.70 MX$143

-12.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 521

$12.69 MX$237

-68.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 KES 196

$2.78 MX$51.9

-45.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 KES 77.5

$1.37 MX$25.50

-56.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$2.55 MX$47.55

-69.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 148

$2.12 MX$39.58

-46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 KES 47.22

$1.94 MX$36.13

-81.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.89 MX$35.16

-74.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.0

$1.15 MX$21.37

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.60

$1.18 MX$21.98

-68.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 KES 364

$4.30 MX$80.1

-34.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 KES 743

$9.95 MX$185

-42.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.58 MX$29.52

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KES 253

$2.67 MX$49.79

-26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$4.97 MX$92.6

-69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 KES 118

$3.33 MX$62.1

-72.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 KES 383

$5.36 MX$99.8

-44.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 KES 177

$1.44 MX$26.92

-5.56%

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

$19.0K KES 2.5M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

-8.05%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-8.61%

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

$34.61 KES 4,494

$84.8 MX$1,581

-59.18%

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

$15.36 KES 1,994

$23.41 MX$436

-34.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 KES 4,477

$28.66 MX$534

20.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.97 KES 6,100

$57.1 MX$1,063

-17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 KES 997

$5.14 MX$95.8

49.42%

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

$53.3 KES 6,921

$207 MX$3,851

-74.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,489 KES 453.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

-11.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.59 KES 3,713

$43.35 MX$808

-34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.22 KES 3,795

$41.44 MX$772

-29.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,921

$74.2 MX$1,383

-7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.35 KES 2,513

$89.3 MX$1,664

-78.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 KES 13.2K

$980 MX$18.3K

-89.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.9 KES 7,384

$381 MX$7,099

-85.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 KES 34.8K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-84.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 KES 22.7K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-83.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$623 KES 80.9K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-84.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

11.45

28.47%

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

Last update for Thika: 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

Thika

$154 29.8%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 65.2% $101

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 129% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$84 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 62.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 70.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 8% $5

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 570% $324

Getting Around

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 733% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Thika 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Thika versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $255 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

16:43 4:43 PM

8 h behind Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thika Playa del Carmen 13,580 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Thika 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 Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $101 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $518 in Thika and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Thika about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $53 per month in Thika and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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