Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Thimphu is 59.4% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 63% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Thimphu is 41% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 65.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 BTN 253
$11.99 MX$227
-75.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.4 BTN 1,469
$42.47 MX$803
-59.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.45 BTN 291
$10.47 MX$198
-67.05%
Cappuccino
$1.42 BTN 120
$3.6 MX$68.2
-60.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 BTN 40.16
$1.44 MX$27.16
-66.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 BTN 12.3
$0.89 MX$16.79
-83.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 BTN 252
$3.09 MX$58.5
-3.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 BTN 194
$4.58 MX$86.6
-49.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 BTN 67.1
$1.38 MX$26.04
-42.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.9 BTN 76.4
$1.85 MX$34.9
-51.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.7 BTN 59
$1.57 MX$29.68
-55.41%
Eggs
$2.07 BTN 175
$2.55 MX$48.3
-18.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.24 BTN 274
$8.61 MX$163
-62.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.82 BTN 322
$8.54 MX$161
-55.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.31 BTN 364
$10.98 MX$208
-60.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 BTN 216
$2.72 MX$51.4
-5.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 BTN 122
$1.51 MX$28.57
-3.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 BTN 160
$1.88 MX$35.63
0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.73 BTN 61.9
$2.19 MX$41.42
-66.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.49 BTN 41.36
$1.87 MX$35.3
-73.80%
Onion (1kg)
$0.56 BTN 47.35
$2.19 MX$41.37
-74.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 BTN 35.93
$1.07 MX$20.23
-59.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 BTN 26.49
$1.09 MX$20.64
-71.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 BTN 313
$3.96 MX$74.9
-6.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.45 BTN 291
$8.86 MX$167
-61.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 BTN 53
$1.72 MX$32.53
-63.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 BTN 86.7
$2.61 MX$49.37
-60.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.78 BTN 150
$0.52 MX$9.74
242.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.89 BTN 328
$26.59 MX$503
-85.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.84 BTN 70.7
$3.24 MX$61.2
-74.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 BTN 188
$2.38 MX$44.94
-6.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.19 BTN 16.32
$3.11 MX$58.7
-93.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 BTN 82
$1.31 MX$24.85
-25.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.3K MX$573K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24K MX$453.6K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.2 BTN 1,959
$84.2 MX$1,592
-72.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.33 BTN 3,152
$22.14 MX$419
68.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.73 BTN 2,256
$30.14 MX$570
-11.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.79 BTN 4,034
$52 MX$983
-8.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.63 BTN 644
$18.72 MX$354
-59.24%
Cinema Ticket
$3.46 BTN 292
$5.07 MX$95.9
-31.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 BTN 20.1K
$200 MX$3,787
19.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$674 BTN 56.9K
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-87.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.08 BTN 767
$35.74 MX$676
-74.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.62 BTN 981
$39.8 MX$753
-70.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$31.9 BTN 2,693
$79 MX$1,493
-59.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.17 BTN 2,716
$88.4 MX$1,671
-63.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$118 BTN 9,987
$965 MX$18.3K
-87.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$61.9 BTN 5,225
$474 MX$8,968
-86.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$197 BTN 16.6K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-88.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$141 BTN 11.9K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-88.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$593 BTN 50K
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-80.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$114 BTN 9,625
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-98.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$544 BTN 45.9K
$792 MX$15K
-31.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
11.42
-5.87%

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

Last update for Thimphu: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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