Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bekasi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bekasi: $665 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bekasi
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$665
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Bekasi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bekasi $665
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,073 in Bekasi versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bekasi $1,073
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,480 in Bekasi versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Bekasi $1,480
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Bekasi costs roughly 45% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bekasi 51% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.72 Rp 48.9K
$10.76 MX$199
-74.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.10 Rp 253.9K
$43.03 MX$795
-67.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.41 Rp 61.4K
$11.79 MX$218
-71.08%
Cappuccino
$1.47 Rp 26.4K
$3.87 MX$71.4
-62.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 Rp 8,309
$1.37 MX$25.29
-66.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 Rp 3,940
$0.84 MX$15.44
-73.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 Rp 43.9K
$3.10 MX$57.3
-21.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 Rp 68.7K
$5.07 MX$93.6
-24.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
$1.44 MX$26.55
-23.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 Rp 20.2K
$2.23 MX$41.23
-49.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$1.47 MX$27.17
-42.18%
Eggs
$1.64 Rp 29.6K
$2.53 MX$46.71
-35.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 Rp 171.4K
$7.30 MX$135
30.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.94 Rp 53.0K
$7.86 MX$145
-62.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.02 Rp 144.4K
$12.79 MX$236
-37.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.74 Rp 49.3K
$2.90 MX$53.6
-5.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
$1.44 MX$26.53
-4.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.50 Rp 45.0K
$2.55 MX$47.07
-1.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 Rp 23.8K
$2.06 MX$38.03
-35.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 Rp 24.1K
$2.00 MX$36.97
-33.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 Rp 37.9K
$2.01 MX$37.07
4.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 Rp 17.0K
$1.19 MX$22.02
-21.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,281
$1.26 MX$23.23
-68.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.74 Rp 49.2K
$4.40 MX$81.4
-37.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 400.3K
$9.59 MX$177
131.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 Rp 36.5K
$1.59 MX$29.41
27.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 Rp 56.2K
$2.81 MX$51.9
11.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 Rp 6,217
$0.57 MX$10.47
-38.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.05 Rp 199.0K
$27.82 MX$514
-60.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$4.98 MX$92.1
-83.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.44 Rp 7,889
$3.50 MX$64.6
-87.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.26 Rp 40.7K
$5.40 MX$99.8
-58.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 Rp 15.5K
$1.47 MX$27.08
-41.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K Rp 375.2M
$21.0K MX$387.8K
-0.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K Rp 578.4M
$23.9K MX$441.8K
34.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.4 Rp 1.1M
$84.2 MX$1,556
-24.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.94 Rp 106.9K
$23.99 MX$443
-75.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.24 Rp 346.3K
$29.02 MX$536
-33.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.55 Rp 280.0K
$63.0 MX$1,164
-75.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.20 Rp 111.5K
$29.14 MX$539
-78.72%
Cinema Ticket
$3.36 Rp 60.6K
$4.94 MX$91.3
-31.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$128 Rp 2.3M
$204 MX$3,763
-36.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,333 Rp 150.0M
$3,941 MX$72.8K
111.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.3 Rp 1.0M
$43.60 MX$806
33.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.38 Rp 582.8K
$43.12 MX$797
-24.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.9 Rp 1.4M
$75.8 MX$1,400
1.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.1 Rp 1.7M
$88.6 MX$1,637
6.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$206 Rp 3.7M
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-79.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$133 Rp 2.4M
$374 MX$6,911
-64.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$457 Rp 8.2M
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-73.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$358 Rp 6.4M
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-67.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$585 Rp 10.5M
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-85.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$902 Rp 16.2M
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-85.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bekasi
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$366 Rp 6.6M
$754 MX$13.9K
-51.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.46
11.45
-17.38%

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

Last update for Bekasi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bekasi
$216
Playa del Carmen
$258 19.7% $43
Accommodation & Living
Bekasi
$133
Playa del Carmen
$374 182% $241
Clothing & Footwear
Bekasi
$118
Playa del Carmen
$113 4.1% $4.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bekasi
$89
Playa del Carmen
$137 54.9% $49
Eating Out
Bekasi
$72
Playa del Carmen
$202 181% $130
Sport & Entertainment
Bekasi
$22
Playa del Carmen
$73 227% $51
Getting Around
Bekasi
$15
Playa del Carmen
$53 240% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $206 in Bekasi and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 106% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $14.00 in Bekasi vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $258 per month, with Bekasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bekasi
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
18:50 6:50 PM
06:50 6:50 AM
12 h behind Bekasi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,334,871
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bekasi Playa del Carmen 17,810 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bekasi
  • 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
Bekasi vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bekasi and in Playa del Carmen?
Bekasi and Playa del Carmen differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $1,210 including rent). Bekasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 106% lower in Playa del Carmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Bekasi and in Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $206 in Bekasi versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Bekasi – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bekasi or Playa del Carmen?
All in, you'll spend $665 per month in Bekasi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $665 in Bekasi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bekasi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bekasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bekasi and Playa del Carmen?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Bekasi or Playa del Carmen?
Expats usually find Bekasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Bekasi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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