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

🙂 Solo nomad: Vientiane is 34.1% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Vientiane is 3.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.35 LAK 50.4K
$11.99 MX$227
-80.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.65 LAK 421.8K
$42.47 MX$803
-53.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.48 LAK 96.1K
$10.47 MX$198
-57.21%
Cappuccino
$1.62 LAK 34.8K
$3.6 MX$68.2
-55.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 LAK 11.1K
$1.44 MX$27.16
-64.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 LAK 8,035
$0.89 MX$16.79
-58.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 LAK 26.3K
$3.09 MX$58.5
-60.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 LAK 36.8K
$4.58 MX$86.6
-62.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 LAK 41.1K
$1.38 MX$26.04
38.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 LAK 19.1K
$1.85 MX$34.9
-51.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 LAK 20.9K
$1.57 MX$29.68
-37.58%
Eggs
$1.85 LAK 39.6K
$2.55 MX$48.3
-27.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.17 LAK 604.6K
$8.61 MX$163
227.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.5 LAK 139.4K
$8.54 MX$161
-23.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.21 LAK 133.4K
$10.98 MX$208
-43.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 LAK 41.5K
$2.72 MX$51.4
-29.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.12 LAK 24.1K
$1.51 MX$28.57
-25.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 LAK 45.5K
$1.88 MX$35.63
12.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 LAK 29.8K
$2.19 MX$41.42
-36.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 LAK 34.7K
$1.87 MX$35.3
-13.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 LAK 22.4K
$2.19 MX$41.37
-52.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 LAK 14.1K
$1.07 MX$20.23
-38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 LAK 8,306
$1.09 MX$20.64
-64.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 LAK 41.8K
$3.96 MX$74.9
-50.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 LAK 224.8K
$8.86 MX$167
18.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 LAK 20.9K
$1.72 MX$32.53
-43.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 LAK 37.1K
$2.61 MX$49.37
-33.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 LAK 10.1K
$0.52 MX$9.74
-9.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.5 LAK 1.1M
$26.59 MX$503
89.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 LAK 43.2K
$3.24 MX$61.2
-37.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 LAK 24.2K
$2.38 MX$44.94
-52.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.85 LAK 104.2K
$3.11 MX$58.7
55.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 LAK 29K
$1.31 MX$24.85
3.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K LAK 616.6M
$30.3K MX$573K
-5.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.1K LAK 624.4M
$24K MX$453.6K
21.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.5 LAK 1.6M
$84.2 MX$1,592
-13.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.46 LAK 696.5K
$22.14 MX$419
46.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.26 LAK 241.7K
$30.14 MX$570
-62.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 LAK 1.1M
$52 MX$983
-0.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.8 LAK 124.4K
$18.72 MX$354
-69.02%
Cinema Ticket
$2.57 LAK 55.1K
$5.07 MX$95.9
-49.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$336 LAK 7.2M
$200 MX$3,787
67.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,369 LAK 201.1M
$5,333 MX$100.8K
75.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.82 LAK 597.1K
$35.74 MX$676
-22.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.9 LAK 1.5M
$39.8 MX$753
75.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.6 LAK 1.3M
$79 MX$1,493
-24.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.16 LAK 904.9K
$88.4 MX$1,671
-52.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 LAK 18.8M
$965 MX$18.3K
-9.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$782 LAK 16.8M
$474 MX$8,968
64.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$931 LAK 20M
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-43.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 LAK 35.6M
$1,202 MX$22.7K
38.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,818 LAK 39M
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-41.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$99.1 LAK 2.1M
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-98.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$271 LAK 5.8M
$792 MX$15K
-65.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.12
11.42
-11.38%

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

Last update for Vientiane: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.