Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gresik and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gresik: $593 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Gresik, Indonesia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Gresik
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$593
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Gresik versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gresik $593
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $903 in Gresik versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gresik $903
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,213 in Gresik versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Gresik $1,213
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gresik costs roughly 51% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gresik 56% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
$10.92 MX$203
-90.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$9.76 Rp 177.0K
$43.37 MX$807
-77.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.00 Rp 54.4K
$11.78 MX$219
-74.53%
Cappuccino
$1.61 Rp 29.1K
$3.81 MX$70.9
-57.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 Rp 7,659
$1.28 MX$23.87
-67.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 Rp 3,994
$0.78 MX$14.57
-71.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.15 Rp 39.0K
$3.17 MX$59.0
-32.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 Rp 37.3K
$4.93 MX$91.9
-58.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
$1.41 MX$26.18
-15.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 Rp 22.9K
$2.22 MX$41.27
-43.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 Rp 16.2K
$1.42 MX$26.38
-37.32%
Eggs
$1.09 Rp 19.7K
$2.52 MX$46.96
-56.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.72 Rp 140.1K
$7.26 MX$135
6.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$7.70 MX$143
-61.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.29 Rp 132.4K
$12.69 MX$236
-42.55%
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 Rp 36.0K
$2.78 MX$51.8
-28.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 Rp 22.5K
$1.37 MX$25.47
-9.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
$2.55 MX$47.49
-28.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 Rp 27.4K
$2.12 MX$39.52
-28.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.35 Rp 24.5K
$1.94 MX$36.08
-30.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 Rp 35.2K
$1.89 MX$35.11
2.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 Rp 13.7K
$1.15 MX$21.34
-34.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,211
$1.18 MX$21.95
-66.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.82 Rp 33.1K
$4.30 MX$80.0
-57.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.97 Rp 199.1K
$9.95 MX$185
10.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 Rp 31.4K
$1.58 MX$29.48
9.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 Rp 50.2K
$2.67 MX$49.72
3.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,175
$0.55 MX$10.30
-58.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.74 Rp 213.0K
$26.62 MX$495
-55.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.50 Rp 8,987
$4.97 MX$92.5
-89.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,799
$3.33 MX$62.0
-87.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 Rp 48.3K
$5.36 MX$99.7
-50.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
$1.44 MX$26.88
-44.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K Rp 647.0M
$20.7K MX$384.7K
72.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K Rp 457.3M
$23.5K MX$436.8K
7.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.7 Rp 1.5M
$84.8 MX$1,578
-0.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.68 Rp 85.0K
$23.41 MX$436
-80.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.38 Rp 351.6K
$28.66 MX$533
-32.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.57 Rp 427.7K
$57.1 MX$1,062
-58.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.38 Rp 152.0K
$28.91 MX$538
-71.01%
Cinema Ticket
$2.54 Rp 46.1K
$5.14 MX$95.7
-50.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$52.9 Rp 959.5K
$207 MX$3,845
-74.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,259 Rp 168.0M
$3,927 MX$73.1K
135.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.12 Rp 746.2K
$43.35 MX$807
-5.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.39 Rp 406.2K
$41.44 MX$771
-45.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
$74.2 MX$1,381
1.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 Rp 1.3M
$89.3 MX$1,661
-17.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$167 Rp 3.0M
$980 MX$18.2K
-82.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$114 Rp 2.1M
$381 MX$7,089
-70.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$307 Rp 5.6M
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-82.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 Rp 4.4M
$1,075 MX$20.0K
-77.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,216 Rp 22.1M
$3,943 MX$73.4K
-69.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 Rp 16.4M
$6,158 MX$114.6K
-85.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gresik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$108 Rp 2.0M
$735 MX$13.7K
-85.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
11.45
-34.50%

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

Last update for Gresik: 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
Gresik
$176
Playa del Carmen
$255 44.5% $78
Accommodation & Living
Gresik
$114
Playa del Carmen
$381 234% $267
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gresik
$109
Playa del Carmen
$137 25.8% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Gresik
$96
Playa del Carmen
$112 16.9% $16
Eating Out
Gresik
$54
Playa del Carmen
$202 272% $148
Sport & Entertainment
Gresik
$29
Playa del Carmen
$67 135% $39
Getting Around
Gresik
$15
Playa del Carmen
$50 230% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $167 in Gresik and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $10 in Gresik vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $255 per month, with Gresik cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Gresik
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:38 11:38 AM
23:38 11:38 PM
12 h behind Gresik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,229 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gresik Playa del Carmen 17,420 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gresik
  • 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
Gresik vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gresik cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Gresik is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Gresik or Playa del Carmen?
On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Gresik. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Gresik and Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Gresik versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Gresik and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Gresik or in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Gresik – a meal for two runs $10 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Gresik or in Playa del Carmen?
At $593 in Gresik versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gresik but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gresik the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Gresik or in 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gresik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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