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

🙂 Solo nomad: Vientiane is 20% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Vientiane is 21.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 2.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.37 LAK 52.1K
$11.61 MX$200
-79.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.11 LAK 419.8K
$42.75 MX$738
-55.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.58 LAK 100.6K
$10.60 MX$183
-56.79%
Cappuccino
$1.61 LAK 35.4K
$3.59 MX$62.0
-55.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 LAK 11.4K
$1.45 MX$25.08
-64.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 LAK 8,131
$0.90 MX$15.50
-58.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.23 LAK 26.9K
$3.03 MX$52.4
-59.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 LAK 37.2K
$4.56 MX$78.8
-62.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 LAK 43.5K
$1.45 MX$25.07
36.55%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 LAK 19.7K
$1.83 MX$31.55
-50.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 LAK 20.0K
$1.61 MX$27.77
-43.48%
Eggs
$1.79 LAK 39.4K
$2.54 MX$43.82
-29.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.11 LAK 617.6K
$8.54 MX$148
229.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.55 LAK 143.9K
$8.47 MX$146
-22.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.31 LAK 138.7K
$10.86 MX$188
-41.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 LAK 44.3K
$2.73 MX$47.13
-26.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 LAK 23.7K
$1.49 MX$25.77
-27.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.05 LAK 45.1K
$1.94 MX$33.55
5.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.34 LAK 29.4K
$2.16 MX$37.38
-37.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 LAK 36.8K
$1.85 MX$31.88
-9.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 LAK 22.2K
$2.19 MX$37.80
-53.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 LAK 14.4K
$1.07 MX$18.52
-38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.36 LAK 7,806
$1.08 MX$18.71
-66.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.02 LAK 44.4K
$4.06 MX$70.1
-50.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.91 LAK 217.8K
$10.46 MX$181
-5.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 LAK 21.4K
$1.65 MX$28.56
-41.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 LAK 37.5K
$2.55 MX$44.01
-32.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 LAK 10.4K
$0.56 MX$9.60
-16.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$51.4 LAK 1.1M
$26.20 MX$453
96.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 LAK 44.4K
$3.14 MX$54.2
-35.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.19 LAK 26.1K
$2.37 MX$40.96
-49.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.94 LAK 108.6K
$3.24 MX$56.0
52.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 LAK 31.1K
$1.31 MX$22.70
7.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K LAK 644.2M
$30.5K MX$527.4K
-3.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K LAK 644.1M
$23.8K MX$411.4K
23.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.9 LAK 1.6M
$83.1 MX$1,436
-11.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.20 LAK 707.5K
$22.15 MX$383
45.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.50 LAK 252.7K
$29.37 MX$507
-60.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 LAK 1.1M
$51.2 MX$884
0.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.62 LAK 123.4K
$18.69 MX$323
-69.93%
Cinema Ticket
$2.57 LAK 56.5K
$4.89 MX$84.4
-47.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$337 LAK 7.4M
$199 MX$3,431
69.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,252 LAK 203.3M
$5,207 MX$89.9K
77.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.83 LAK 611.4K
$35.93 MX$621
-22.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.4 LAK 1.5M
$39.39 MX$680
76.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.2 LAK 1.3M
$80.3 MX$1,387
-27.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.55 LAK 934.8K
$87.6 MX$1,512
-51.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$860 LAK 18.9M
$963 MX$16.6K
-10.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$788 LAK 17.3M
$482 MX$8,326
63.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$941 LAK 20.7M
$1,645 MX$28.4K
-42.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,634 LAK 35.9M
$1,192 MX$20.6K
37.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,319 LAK 50.9M
$3,957 MX$68.3K
-41.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,122 LAK 24.7M
$6,513 MX$112.5K
-82.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vientiane
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$270 LAK 5.9M
$726 MX$12.5K
-62.85%
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: April 14, 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

Vientiane vs other spots: cost of living compared

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