Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yala and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $912 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$912

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $912 per month in Yala vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yala $912
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,463 per month in Yala vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yala $1,463
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,014 per month in Yala vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Yala $2,014
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Yala is about 24% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Yala and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Yala 33% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.46 ฿49.33

$10.92 MX$204

-86.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 ฿834

$43.37 MX$810

-43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿253

$11.78 MX$220

-36.42%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿66.0

$3.81 MX$71.2

-48.56%

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

$0.53 ฿17.92

$1.28 MX$23.96

-58.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ฿5.89

$0.78 MX$14.63

-78.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿71.3

$3.17 MX$59.2

-33.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.93 MX$92.2

-40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿58.1

$1.41 MX$26.28

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿47.13

$2.22 MX$41.43

-36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.25

$1.42 MX$26.48

-7.75%

Eggs

$1.99 ฿67.1

$2.52 MX$47.14

-21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ฿568

$7.26 MX$136

131.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.5

$7.70 MX$144

-65.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ฿348

$12.69 MX$237

-18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ฿97.3

$2.78 MX$52.0

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.53

$1.37 MX$25.56

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.7

$2.55 MX$47.66

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ฿65.6

$2.12 MX$39.67

-8.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.3

$1.94 MX$36.22

-21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.60

$1.89 MX$35.24

-41.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.89

$1.15 MX$21.42

-7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.61

$1.18 MX$22.03

-58.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.30 MX$80.3

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$9.95 MX$186

79.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.9

$1.58 MX$29.59

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.6

$2.67 MX$49.91

7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.61

$0.55 MX$10.34

5.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.13

$4.97 MX$92.9

-76.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 ฿39.60

$3.33 MX$62.2

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.91 ฿200

$5.36 MX$100

10.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$1.44 MX$26.98

-2.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.4K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

30.31%

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

$26.8K ฿904.6K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

14.16%

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

$84.3 ฿2,847

$84.8 MX$1,584

-0.55%

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

$12.13 ฿410

$23.41 MX$437

-48.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 ฿636

$28.66 MX$535

-34.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.71 ฿1,611

$57.1 MX$1,066

-16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.35 ฿451

$28.91 MX$540

-53.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ฿223

$5.14 MX$96.0

28.60%

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

$581 ฿19.6K

$207 MX$3,860

181.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿366.8K

$3,927 MX$73.4K

176.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.99 ฿1,688

$43.35 MX$810

15.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.59 ฿999

$41.44 MX$774

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 ฿2,594

$74.2 MX$1,386

3.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ฿2,541

$89.3 MX$1,668

-15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.8K

$980 MX$18.3K

-55.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$381 MX$7,116

-21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 ฿38.2K

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 ฿23.1K

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-36.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 ฿64.4K

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-51.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,461 ฿49.3K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-76.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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 Yala: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Yala

$301 32.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 26.7% $80

Groceries & Markets

Yala

$245 26.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 3.9% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yala

$115 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 18.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Yala

$104 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 7.2% $7.5

Eating Out

Yala

$77 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 163% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Yala

$61 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 10.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Yala

$9.4 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 440% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $437 in Yala 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Yala versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $255 – making Yala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Yala

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

05:19 5:19 AM

12 h behind Yala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,617

149,923

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yala Playa del Carmen 16,860 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Yala
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Yala 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 Yala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $437 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $912 in Yala and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 32%.

Kindergarten costs $581 per month in Yala and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $912 in Yala and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $912 in Yala to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.