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

🙂 Solo nomad: Balikpapan is 40.9% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 35.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Balikpapan is 12.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 44.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.57 Rp 25.4K
$11.99 MX$227
-86.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.51 Rp 251.8K
$42.47 MX$803
-63.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.31 Rp 53.8K
$10.47 MX$198
-68.39%
Cappuccino
$1.56 Rp 25.3K
$3.6 MX$68.2
-56.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 Rp 7,077
$1.44 MX$27.16
-69.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 Rp 6,672
$0.89 MX$16.79
-53.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 Rp 31.7K
$3.09 MX$58.5
-36.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 48.3K
$4.58 MX$86.6
-34.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 Rp 29.7K
$1.38 MX$26.04
32.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.3 Rp 21K
$1.85 MX$34.9
-29.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 Rp 21.7K
$1.57 MX$29.68
-15.29%
Eggs
$2.72 Rp 44.1K
$2.55 MX$48.3
6.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.09 Rp 391K
$8.61 MX$163
179.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 Rp 81.7K
$8.54 MX$161
-41.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.95 Rp 129K
$10.98 MX$208
-27.60%
Apples (1kg)
$3.65 Rp 59.3K
$2.72 MX$51.4
34.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 24.7K
$1.51 MX$28.57
0.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.09 Rp 34K
$1.88 MX$35.63
11.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.2 Rp 19.4K
$2.19 MX$41.42
-45.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 30.1K
$1.87 MX$35.3
-0.53%
Onion (1kg)
$3.77 Rp 61.3K
$2.19 MX$41.37
72.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 Rp 17.2K
$1.07 MX$20.23
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 Rp 12.1K
$1.09 MX$20.64
-32.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.07 Rp 33.7K
$3.96 MX$74.9
-47.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.9 Rp 193.1K
$8.86 MX$167
34.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 Rp 34.5K
$1.72 MX$32.53
23.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 Rp 67.9K
$2.61 MX$49.37
60.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 Rp 10.1K
$0.52 MX$9.74
19.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.62 Rp 156.2K
$26.59 MX$503
-63.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.2 Rp 19.4K
$3.24 MX$61.2
-62.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 Rp 5,587
$2.38 MX$44.94
-85.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.2 Rp 100.7K
$3.11 MX$58.7
99.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.74 Rp 12K
$1.31 MX$24.85
-43.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K Rp 403M
$30.3K MX$573K
-18.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K Rp 408.8M
$24K MX$453.6K
4.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$90.6 Rp 1.5M
$84.2 MX$1,592
7.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.09 Rp 50.2K
$22.14 MX$419
-86.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.1 Rp 521K
$30.14 MX$570
6.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.72 Rp 352.5K
$52 MX$983
-58.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.64 Rp 399.9K
$18.72 MX$354
31.62%
Cinema Ticket
$3.11 Rp 50.5K
$5.07 MX$95.9
-38.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$62 Rp 1M
$200 MX$3,787
-69.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,459 Rp 121.1M
$5,333 MX$100.8K
39.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.26 Rp 669.7K
$35.74 MX$676
15.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.45 Rp 331.9K
$39.8 MX$753
-48.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 Rp 2M
$79 MX$1,493
59.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 Rp 2M
$88.4 MX$1,671
36.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$219 Rp 3.6M
$965 MX$18.3K
-77.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 Rp 2.5M
$474 MX$8,968
-67.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$494 Rp 8M
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-70.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$304 Rp 4.9M
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-74.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,275 Rp 20.7M
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-58.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$848 Rp 13.8M
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-88.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$210 Rp 3.4M
$792 MX$15K
-73.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
11.42
31.35%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 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.