Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Binjai and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Binjai
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Binjai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $638 in Binjai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Binjai $638
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,029 in Binjai versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Binjai $1,029
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,421 in Binjai versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Binjai $1,421
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Binjai costs roughly 47% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Binjai 53% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$10.92 MX$205

-83.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.06 Rp 272.9K

$43.37 MX$814

-65.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$11.78 MX$221

-76.15%

Cappuccino

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

$3.81 MX$71.5

-65.09%

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

$0.48 Rp 8,699

$1.28 MX$24.07

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,635

$0.78 MX$14.70

-74.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 Rp 45.1K

$3.17 MX$59.5

-21.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 Rp 56.5K

$4.93 MX$92.7

-36.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

$1.41 MX$26.40

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$2.22 MX$41.62

-57.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$1.42 MX$26.61

-43.66%

Eggs

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$2.52 MX$47.36

-50.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.22 Rp 112.8K

$7.26 MX$136

-14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

$7.70 MX$144

-59.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 Rp 135.6K

$12.69 MX$238

-41.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$2.78 MX$52.3

-12.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.37 MX$25.68

-5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 Rp 32.1K

$2.55 MX$47.89

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$2.12 MX$39.86

-41.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$1.94 MX$36.39

-27.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$1.89 MX$35.41

3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.15 MX$21.53

-29.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 6,978

$1.18 MX$22.13

-66.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$4.30 MX$80.6

-43.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.59 Rp 391.2K

$9.95 MX$187

116.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 Rp 36.4K

$1.58 MX$29.73

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 Rp 57.9K

$2.67 MX$50.1

19.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,845

$0.55 MX$10.39

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.00 Rp 181.2K

$26.62 MX$500

-62.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,501

$4.97 MX$93.3

-90.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 Rp 6,505

$3.33 MX$62.5

-89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 Rp 57.6K

$5.36 MX$101

-40.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$1.44 MX$27.11

-34.72%

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

$20.3K Rp 368.7M

$20.7K MX$388.0K

-1.55%

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

$30.1K Rp 545.5M

$23.5K MX$440.5K

28.30%

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

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

$84.8 MX$1,592

-19.00%

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

$3.91 Rp 70.8K

$23.41 MX$439

-83.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.11 Rp 328.1K

$28.66 MX$538

-36.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.19 Rp 365.9K

$57.1 MX$1,071

-64.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.73 Rp 158.2K

$28.91 MX$543

-69.80%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 Rp 52.2K

$5.14 MX$96.5

-43.97%

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

$105 Rp 1.9M

$207 MX$3,878

-49.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,060 Rp 146.0M

$3,927 MX$73.7K

105.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.93 Rp 777.9K

$43.35 MX$814

-0.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.03 Rp 489.8K

$41.44 MX$778

-34.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

$74.2 MX$1,393

13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

$89.3 MX$1,676

-29.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 Rp 3.7M

$980 MX$18.4K

-79.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 Rp 2.8M

$381 MX$7,150

-58.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 Rp 9.0M

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-71.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 Rp 7.4M

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-61.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

$3,943 MX$74.0K

-69.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$752 Rp 13.6M

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-87.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

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 Binjai: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Binjai

$194 30.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 31.5% $61

Accommodation & Living

Binjai

$156 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 144% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Binjai

$98 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 14.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Binjai

$91 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.9% $46

Eating Out

Binjai

$60 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 236% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Binjai

$26 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 159% $41

Getting Around

Binjai

$13 2.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 285% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $204 in Binjai and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Binjai vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $255 per month, with Binjai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Binjai

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

12 h behind Binjai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,901

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Binjai Playa del Carmen 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Binjai
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

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

Binjai is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $956 in Binjai and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $204 in Binjai versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $638 per month in Binjai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Binjai is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 62% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $638 in Binjai versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Binjai but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Binjai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Binjai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.