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

🙂 Solo nomad: Balikpapan is 36.6% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Balikpapan is 31.5% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 47.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.50 Rp 25.5K
$11.85 MX$211
-87.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.05 Rp 255.0K
$42.16 MX$750
-64.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.47 Rp 58.8K
$10.75 MX$191
-67.72%
Cappuccino
$1.81 Rp 30.7K
$3.47 MX$61.8
-47.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 6,838
$1.45 MX$25.85
-72.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 Rp 6,563
$0.90 MX$16.06
-56.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.97 Rp 33.4K
$3.05 MX$54.3
-35.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 50.5K
$4.42 MX$78.6
-32.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 Rp 30.6K
$1.37 MX$24.36
31.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 Rp 21.6K
$1.87 MX$33.31
-31.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 21.4K
$1.54 MX$27.46
-18.18%
Eggs
$2.71 Rp 46.0K
$2.50 MX$44.53
8.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.14 Rp 137.8K
$8.61 MX$153
-5.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.01 Rp 84.8K
$8.63 MX$154
-41.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.96 Rp 134.9K
$11.02 MX$196
-27.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.67 Rp 62.1K
$2.75 MX$48.91
33.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 Rp 25.3K
$1.43 MX$25.41
4.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 Rp 35.9K
$1.87 MX$33.32
13.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 Rp 20.3K
$2.17 MX$38.56
-44.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 Rp 30.3K
$1.88 MX$33.50
-4.79%
Onion (1kg)
$3.63 Rp 61.5K
$2.25 MX$39.96
61.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 17.0K
$1.07 MX$18.99
-6.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 Rp 13.4K
$1.07 MX$19.10
-26.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.00 Rp 33.9K
$4.15 MX$73.9
-51.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.73 Rp 368.0K
$10.34 MX$184
110.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 Rp 36.0K
$1.68 MX$29.87
26.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 Rp 75.0K
$2.48 MX$44.19
78.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.63 Rp 10.7K
$0.55 MX$9.87
14.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.79 Rp 165.8K
$26.53 MX$472
-63.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 Rp 20.3K
$3.22 MX$57.2
-62.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 Rp 5,898
$2.48 MX$44.15
-85.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.97 Rp 101.1K
$3.11 MX$55.3
91.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.80 Rp 13.5K
$1.26 MX$22.34
-36.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.7K Rp 418.7M
$30.7K MX$545.4K
-19.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K Rp 439.9M
$24.0K MX$427.6K
8.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.2 Rp 1.6M
$82.5 MX$1,467
13.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.05 Rp 51.7K
$22.29 MX$396
-86.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.82 Rp 539.0K
$30.02 MX$534
6.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.71 Rp 367.7K
$51.4 MX$915
-57.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.19 Rp 104.8K
$18.29 MX$325
-66.16%
Cinema Ticket
$3.12 Rp 52.9K
$4.98 MX$88.7
-37.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.9 Rp 1.0M
$200 MX$3,558
-69.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,494 Rp 126.9M
$5,304 MX$94.4K
41.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.78 Rp 707.7K
$35.71 MX$635
17.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.79 Rp 352.2K
$39.56 MX$704
-47.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 Rp 2.1M
$80.6 MX$1,433
55.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 Rp 2.1M
$88.3 MX$1,571
40.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$220 Rp 3.7M
$969 MX$17.2K
-77.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 Rp 2.6M
$482 MX$8,579
-68.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$501 Rp 8.5M
$1,595 MX$28.4K
-68.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$303 Rp 5.1M
$1,184 MX$21.1K
-74.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,354 Rp 22.9M
$4,050 MX$72.1K
-66.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 Rp 13.6M
$6,522 MX$116.0K
-87.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balikpapan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$205 Rp 3.5M
$756 MX$13.5K
-72.90%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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