Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gili Trawangan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Trawangan: $948 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

46

Cost of Living Index in Gili Trawangan
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Gili Trawangan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Gili Trawangan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$948

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $948 in Gili Trawangan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gili Trawangan $948
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,580 in Gili Trawangan versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Gili Trawangan $1,580
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Gili Trawangan versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Gili Trawangan $2,213
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Gili Trawangan costs roughly 21% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gili Trawangan 30% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$10.86 MX$201

-79.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 Rp 427.7K

$44.21 MX$817

-46.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 Rp 67.4K

$11.76 MX$217

-68.20%

Cappuccino

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$3.68 MX$68.0

-50.27%

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

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$1.34 MX$24.79

-18.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 Rp 9,840

$0.82 MX$15.24

-32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$3.06 MX$56.6

-42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$4.94 MX$91.2

-39.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.47 MX$27.17

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

$2.22 MX$40.95

-21.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$1.48 MX$27.32

-36.49%

Eggs

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$2.49 MX$45.99

-34.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 Rp 234.2K

$7.52 MX$139

73.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$7.96 MX$147

-62.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.03 Rp 162.6K

$12.57 MX$232

-28.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.78 MX$51.3

-2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.43 MX$26.37

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

$2.62 MX$48.37

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$2.14 MX$39.49

-32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$2.02 MX$37.38

-32.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.99 MX$36.74

-11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

$1.14 MX$21.01

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 Rp 7,341

$1.20 MX$22.18

-65.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

$4.26 MX$78.7

-59.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.33 Rp 311.9K

$10.02 MX$185

72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

$1.54 MX$28.41

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$2.66 MX$49.17

-16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,778

$0.53 MX$9.73

-60.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.14 Rp 128.5K

$27.51 MX$508

-74.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 Rp 7,268

$4.90 MX$90.6

-91.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,649

$3.43 MX$63.5

-89.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 Rp 91.6K

$5.38 MX$99.4

-5.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

$1.45 MX$26.76

-53.10%

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

$20.6K Rp 370.8M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

-2.63%

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

$28.0K Rp 503.7M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

21.57%

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

$69.7 Rp 1.3M

$85.4 MX$1,577

-18.37%

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

$5.49 Rp 98.9K

$23.46 MX$434

-76.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.46 Rp 278.3K

$28.43 MX$525

-45.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.13 Rp 704.3K

$62.2 MX$1,149

-37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.90 Rp 232.3K

$28.68 MX$530

-55.02%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$5.10 MX$94.3

-39.41%

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

$347 Rp 6.3M

$201 MX$3,715

72.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,182 Rp 75.3M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

5.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.51 Rp 693.1K

$44.39 MX$820

-13.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.37 Rp 546.7K

$41.35 MX$764

-26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

$72.7 MX$1,344

-8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$89.6 MX$1,656

-24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 Rp 12.2M

$979 MX$18.1K

-30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 Rp 7.5M

$373 MX$6,887

12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 Rp 38.7M

$1,681 MX$31.1K

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 Rp 18.8M

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-4.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,665 Rp 30.0M

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-57.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,371 Rp 24.7M

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-77.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 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 Trawangan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Gili Trawangan

$419 44.2%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 11.1% $46

Groceries & Markets

Gili Trawangan

$219 23.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 18.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Gili Trawangan

$92 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 22% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gili Trawangan

$91 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 51.4% $47

Eating Out

Gili Trawangan

$72 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 176% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Gili Trawangan

$45 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 59.8% $27

Getting Around

Gili Trawangan

$10 1.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 405% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Gili Trawangan and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Gili Trawangan vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $258 per month, with Gili Trawangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Gili Trawangan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

13 h behind Gili Trawangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 25, 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Gili Trawangan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,422 in Gili Trawangan 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: $677 in Gili Trawangan versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gili Trawangan – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $948 in Gili Trawangan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gili Trawangan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gili Trawangan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gili Trawangan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gili Trawangan and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gili Trawangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.