Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubon Ratchathani and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani: $772 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ubon Ratchathani
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Ubon Ratchathani Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$772

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $772 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $772
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,413 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $1,413
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $2,053
Playa del Carmen $2,959

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

Both Ubon Ratchathani and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Ubon Ratchathani 43% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 ฿162

$10.92 MX$204

-56.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.00 ฿709

$43.37 MX$808

-51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 ฿255

$11.78 MX$220

-35.82%

Cappuccino

$1.88 ฿63.5

$3.81 MX$71.0

-50.66%

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

$1.35 ฿45.73

$1.28 MX$23.90

5.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿18.05

$0.78 MX$14.59

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿82.1

$3.17 MX$59.0

-23.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ฿120

$4.93 MX$92.0

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿57.9

$1.41 MX$26.22

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.22 MX$41.33

-34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.72

$1.42 MX$26.42

-2.82%

Eggs

$2.01 ฿67.7

$2.52 MX$47.03

-20.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.66 ฿563

$7.26 MX$135

129.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.5

$7.70 MX$143

-65.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ฿341

$12.69 MX$237

-20.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ฿101

$2.78 MX$51.9

7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.44

$1.37 MX$25.50

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿75.0

$2.55 MX$47.55

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.7

$2.12 MX$39.58

-7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿49.60

$1.94 MX$36.13

-24.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.84

$1.89 MX$35.16

-43.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.45

$1.15 MX$21.37

-6.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.68

$1.18 MX$21.98

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 ฿148

$4.30 MX$80.1

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 ฿444

$9.95 MX$185

32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿58.5

$1.58 MX$29.52

9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.67 MX$49.79

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.71

$0.55 MX$10.31

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.64

$4.97 MX$92.6

-76.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.76

$3.33 MX$62.1

-66.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 ฿205

$5.36 MX$99.8

13.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ฿40.83

$1.44 MX$26.92

-15.97%

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

$26.5K ฿895.1K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

28.27%

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

$32.4K ฿1.1M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

37.87%

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

$82.2 ฿2,776

$84.8 MX$1,581

-3.04%

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

$12.19 ฿412

$23.41 MX$436

-47.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ฿498

$28.66 MX$534

-48.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.71 ฿1,611

$57.1 MX$1,063

-16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.28 ฿448

$28.91 MX$539

-54.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ฿221

$5.14 MX$95.8

27.24%

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

$560 ฿18.9K

$207 MX$3,851

171.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿360.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

171.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.79 ฿1,681

$43.35 MX$808

14.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.40 ฿993

$41.44 MX$772

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 ฿2,524

$74.2 MX$1,383

0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ฿2,597

$89.3 MX$1,664

-13.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 ฿8,159

$980 MX$18.3K

-75.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ฿4,785

$381 MX$7,099

-62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ฿38.8K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 ฿23.2K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-36.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,918 ฿64.8K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

-51.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,429 ฿48.3K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-76.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$356 ฿12.0K

$735 MX$13.7K

-51.48%

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 Ubon Ratchathani: October 24, 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

Ubon Ratchathani

$236 30.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 7.9% $19

Accommodation & Living

Ubon Ratchathani

$142 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 169% $239

Eating Out

Ubon Ratchathani

$110 14.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 83.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubon Ratchathani

$109 14.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 25.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Ubon Ratchathani

$104 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ubon Ratchathani

$61 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Ubon Ratchathani

$10 * 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 391% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Ubon Ratchathani 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Ubon Ratchathani versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $255 – making Ubon Ratchathani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ubon Ratchathani

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

12 h behind Ubon Ratchathani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,977

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubon Ratchathani Playa del Carmen 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubon Ratchathani
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,158 per month in Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $772 in Ubon Ratchathani and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Ubon Ratchathani about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $560 per month in Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Ubon Ratchathani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $772 in Ubon Ratchathani to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ubon Ratchathani. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.