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

🙂 Solo nomad: Thimphu is 44.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 62.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Thimphu is 38.8% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 66.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.95 BTN 274
$11.61 MX$200
-74.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.81 BTN 1,655
$42.75 MX$738
-58.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.60 BTN 335
$10.60 MX$183
-66.04%
Cappuccino
$1.46 BTN 136
$3.59 MX$62.0
-59.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 BTN 44.94
$1.45 MX$25.08
-66.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 BTN 15.40
$0.90 MX$15.50
-81.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 BTN 278
$3.03 MX$52.4
-1.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 BTN 221
$4.56 MX$78.8
-47.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 BTN 74.4
$1.45 MX$25.07
-44.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 BTN 87.8
$1.83 MX$31.55
-48.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 BTN 63.5
$1.61 MX$27.77
-57.76%
Eggs
$1.97 BTN 183
$2.54 MX$43.82
-22.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.37 BTN 313
$8.54 MX$148
-60.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.95 BTN 367
$8.47 MX$146
-53.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.34 BTN 403
$10.86 MX$188
-60.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.55 BTN 237
$2.73 MX$47.13
-6.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 BTN 135
$1.49 MX$25.77
-2.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 BTN 170
$1.94 MX$33.55
-5.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.78 BTN 72.8
$2.16 MX$37.38
-63.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.52 BTN 48.67
$1.85 MX$31.88
-71.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.61 BTN 56.6
$2.19 MX$37.80
-72.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.45 BTN 41.85
$1.07 MX$18.52
-57.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 BTN 29.44
$1.08 MX$18.71
-70.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.76 BTN 349
$4.06 MX$70.1
-7.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.24 BTN 301
$10.46 MX$181
-69.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 BTN 54.9
$1.65 MX$28.56
-64.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 BTN 96.1
$2.55 MX$44.01
-59.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.78 BTN 165
$0.56 MX$9.60
217.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.96 BTN 368
$26.20 MX$453
-84.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.90 BTN 83.6
$3.14 MX$54.2
-71.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 BTN 209
$2.37 MX$40.96
-5.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.15 BTN 14.28
$3.24 MX$56.0
-95.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.92 BTN 85.2
$1.31 MX$22.70
-29.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.8K MX$411.4K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$22.68 BTN 2,107
$83.1 MX$1,436
-72.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.19 BTN 3,548
$22.15 MX$383
72.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.71 BTN 2,481
$29.37 MX$507
-9.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.39 BTN 4,496
$51.2 MX$884
-5.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.45 BTN 692
$18.69 MX$323
-60.14%
Cinema Ticket
$3.60 BTN 334
$4.89 MX$84.4
-26.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$240 BTN 22.3K
$199 MX$3,431
20.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$678 BTN 63.0K
$5,207 MX$89.9K
-86.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.50 BTN 882
$35.93 MX$621
-73.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.49 BTN 1,068
$39.39 MX$680
-70.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$32.45 BTN 3,015
$80.3 MX$1,387
-59.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.74 BTN 2,949
$87.6 MX$1,512
-63.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$118 BTN 10.9K
$963 MX$16.6K
-87.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$63.4 BTN 5,888
$482 MX$8,326
-86.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$199 BTN 18.5K
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-87.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$138 BTN 12.8K
$1,192 MX$20.6K
-88.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$635 BTN 59.0K
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-83.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$258 BTN 24.0K
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-96.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thimphu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$517 BTN 48.0K
$726 MX$12.5K
-28.79%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: April 12, 2026

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

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