Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gili Air and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $799 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$799

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $799 per month in Gili Air vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gili Air $799
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,333 per month in Gili Air vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gili Air $1,333
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,867 per month in Gili Air vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Gili Air $1,867
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Gili Air is about 34% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gili Air and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Gili Air 41% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.75 Rp 31.7K

$10.92 MX$203

-83.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.07 Rp 346.3K

$43.37 MX$805

-56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 Rp 55.7K

$11.78 MX$219

-73.94%

Cappuccino

$1.44 Rp 26.1K

$3.81 MX$70.7

-62.20%

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

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$1.28 MX$23.81

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 Rp 8,177

$0.78 MX$14.54

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$3.17 MX$58.8

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 Rp 44.0K

$4.93 MX$91.7

-50.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$1.41 MX$26.12

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

$2.22 MX$41.17

-29.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$1.42 MX$26.32

-42.25%

Eggs

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

$2.52 MX$46.85

-40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 Rp 224.4K

$7.26 MX$135

70.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$7.70 MX$143

-65.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.62 Rp 156.6K

$12.69 MX$236

-32.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

$2.78 MX$51.7

-10.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.37 MX$25.41

-17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

$2.55 MX$47.37

-36.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$2.12 MX$39.43

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.94 MX$36.00

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

$1.89 MX$35.02

-12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Rp 12.5K

$1.15 MX$21.29

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 Rp 6,294

$1.18 MX$21.89

-70.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

$4.30 MX$79.8

-63.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.83 Rp 287.6K

$9.95 MX$185

59.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 Rp 30.4K

$1.58 MX$29.41

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

$2.67 MX$49.60

-20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 Rp 3,947

$0.55 MX$10.28

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.24 Rp 131.6K

$26.62 MX$494

-72.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 Rp 6,433

$4.97 MX$92.3

-92.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 Rp 6,239

$3.33 MX$61.9

-89.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 Rp 91.3K

$5.36 MX$99.5

-6.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 Rp 12.6K

$1.44 MX$26.82

-52.08%

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

$19.2K Rp 348.8M

$20.7K MX$383.8K

-7.06%

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

$25.5K Rp 462.3M

$23.5K MX$435.8K

8.49%

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

$65.5 Rp 1.2M

$84.8 MX$1,575

-22.71%

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

$5.15 Rp 93.5K

$23.41 MX$435

-78.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.88 Rp 270.3K

$28.66 MX$532

-48.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.80 Rp 523.0K

$57.1 MX$1,059

-49.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.30 Rp 187.0K

$28.91 MX$537

-64.37%

Cinema Ticket

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$5.14 MX$95.4

-50.19%

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

$334 Rp 6.1M

$207 MX$3,836

61.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,903 Rp 70.9M

$3,927 MX$72.9K

-0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.14 Rp 656.4K

$43.35 MX$805

-16.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.91 Rp 506.9K

$41.44 MX$770

-32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 Rp 1.2M

$74.2 MX$1,378

-12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 Rp 1.1M

$89.3 MX$1,657

-29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 Rp 9.6M

$980 MX$18.2K

-45.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 Rp 5.8M

$381 MX$7,072

-15.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 Rp 30.3M

$1,708 MX$31.7K

-2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Rp 14.9M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-23.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 Rp 23.6M

$3,943 MX$73.2K

-67.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,081 Rp 19.6M

$6,158 MX$114.4K

-82.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

11.45

20.35%

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

Last update for Gili Air: October 26, 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

Gili Air

$322 40.3%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 18.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Gili Air

$204 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 25.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Gili Air

$86 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 29.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gili Air

$86 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 59.9% $51

Eating Out

Gili Air

$58 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 250% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Gili Air

$34 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 98.5% $33

Getting Around

Gili Air

$10 1.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 395% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Gili Air 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 $19 in Gili Air versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $255 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

13 h behind Gili Air

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gili Air Playa del Carmen 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Gili Air
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

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

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,199 per month in Gili Air 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 Gili Air, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $799 in Gili Air and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Gili Air about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gili Air costs $799 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Gili Air is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.