Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Magelang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
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Magelang Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Magelang vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Magelang $522
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $829 per month in Magelang vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Magelang $829
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $1,136 per month in Magelang vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Magelang $1,136
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Magelang is about 57% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Magelang and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Magelang 62% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$10.92 MX$203

-87.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.48 Rp 153.9K

$43.37 MX$807

-80.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

$11.78 MX$219

-78.44%

Cappuccino

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$3.81 MX$70.9

-80.58%

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

$0.32 Rp 5,749

$1.28 MX$23.87

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 Rp 3,098

$0.78 MX$14.57

-78.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$3.17 MX$59.0

-58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

$4.93 MX$91.9

-46.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

$1.41 MX$26.18

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$2.22 MX$41.27

-49.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$1.42 MX$26.38

-47.18%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$2.52 MX$46.96

-53.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

$7.26 MX$135

-11.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$7.70 MX$143

-70.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

$12.69 MX$236

-45.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

$2.78 MX$51.8

-26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$1.37 MX$25.47

-18.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$2.55 MX$47.49

-51.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$2.12 MX$39.52

-59.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

$1.94 MX$36.08

-48.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

$1.89 MX$35.11

-29.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

$1.15 MX$21.34

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,478

$1.18 MX$21.95

-69.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

$4.30 MX$80.0

-55.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.50 Rp 299.4K

$9.95 MX$185

65.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$1.58 MX$29.48

-3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

$2.67 MX$49.72

-20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,325

$0.55 MX$10.30

-47.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

$26.62 MX$495

-57.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 Rp 7,755

$4.97 MX$92.5

-91.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,787

$3.33 MX$62.0

-90.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

$5.36 MX$99.7

-59.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$1.44 MX$26.88

-49.31%

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

$25.4K Rp 460.5M

$20.7K MX$384.7K

22.81%

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

$28.0K Rp 507.7M

$23.5K MX$436.8K

19.24%

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

$46.08 Rp 836.0K

$84.8 MX$1,578

-45.65%

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

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$23.41 MX$436

-83.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.56 Rp 354.9K

$28.66 MX$533

-31.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.49 Rp 244.7K

$57.1 MX$1,062

-76.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

$28.91 MX$538

-87.41%

Cinema Ticket

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

$5.14 MX$95.7

-50.58%

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

$43.82 Rp 795.1K

$207 MX$3,845

-78.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

$3,927 MX$73.1K

-0.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.01 Rp 345.0K

$43.35 MX$807

-56.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.05 Rp 345.6K

$41.44 MX$771

-54.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

$74.2 MX$1,381

-22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.7 Rp 937.3K

$89.3 MX$1,661

-42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$980 MX$18.2K

-76.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.7M

$381 MX$7,089

-61.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 Rp 10.2M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-67.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.6M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-66.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

$3,943 MX$73.4K

-70.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 Rp 14.5M

$6,158 MX$114.6K

-87.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$170 Rp 3.1M

$735 MX$13.7K

-76.85%

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 Magelang: October 25, 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

Magelang

$165 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 54.5% $90

Accommodation & Living

Magelang

$146 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 160% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Magelang

$70 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 96.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Magelang

$66 12.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 68.9% $46

Eating Out

Magelang

$41 8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 388% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Magelang

$19 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 263% $49

Getting Around

Magelang

$14 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 248% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Magelang 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.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Magelang versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $255 – making Magelang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Magelang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

12 h behind Magelang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,227

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Magelang Playa del Carmen 17,650 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Magelang
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Magelang, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 131% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $782 per month in Magelang 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 Magelang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Playa del Carmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Magelang and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Magelang, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Magelang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Magelang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Magelang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.